


Escape Artist

by Fiorea



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Incest, Kind of multiple personalities, Kyuubi is a good friend, Lots of ANBU, M/M, Minato doesn't know Naruto's heritage, Naruto is understandably depressed about losing all his friends, Psychological Trauma, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Somewhat canon before people started coming back to life..., Third Shinobi War, Time Travel, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-05-18 15:18:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5933062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiorea/pseuds/Fiorea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seal master Uzumaki Naruto finally perfected a battle-use seal to rewind time for short moments. What the idiot forgot was that he tended to overdo things when in a pinch. MinaNaru</p>
<p> <br/>(Note: Undergoing a minor rewrite to clean it up--posting chapters as they're edited.)</p>
<p>____________________</p>
<p>
  <i>Everything felt so peaceful. There was no evidence of strife or disrepair like the Konoha in his time. None of them knew of the Third Shinobi World War already building in the shadows. Civilians lived without fear, and shinobi joked about missions. He watched children playing in the Academy playground, so similar to the scenes from his own childhood before shit hit the fan. A tiny smile formed behind his mask.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I have to protect this.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Idiocy

**Author's Note:**

> My take on Naruto + romance + time travel. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Idiocy**

After months of tinkering, Naruto finally let out a whoop of triumph. The last several weeks of extreme frustration and sleepless nights slipped from his mind as he looked down at the scroll in front of him with a smug smirk.

Uzumaki Naruto, Tokubetsu Jounin by day and Hunter-nin in the shadows, had an epiphany four months ago when the third missing-nin shattered his third Hunter-nin mask in three consecutive solo missions. Knowledge of his identity may have followed each target to the grave, but it was hell to explain how he lost another mask while most ANBU and Hunter-nin were able to keep theirs intact for years. It must have been the third ‘Tsunade Ba-baa Death Punch’ to the jaw that slammed him into a eureka moment (and the wall).

He just needed to make sure those incidents couldn’t happen.

So, the most reckless Seal Master in history gathered his arsenal of Sealing knowledge and holed himself up in Konoha’s ANBU Library to invent his next outrageous but ingenious Fuuin. Over those long four months, Naruto only emerged from the library for missions, ramen, and showering, spending the rest of his free time with his clones on a seal to prevent the inevitable fourth broken mask.

What he created should have been called the Idiocy Prevention Jutsu, but Naruto called it the _Jikan Makikaeshi (Time Rewind) no Jutsu_.

When activated, the seal would take the user back several moments so they could ‘redo’ those few moments, technically erasing and rewriting time. It took an enormous amount of chakra to activate, but required delicate chakra control to determine the duration. The more chakra pumped into the seal, the more time rewound. The chakra requirement for the initial activation made it impossible to use by anyone else aside from other jinchuuriki and several S-rank shinobi.

Naruto had tested the final product, and it had worked perfectly. One minute he was walking towards the Obscure Ninjutsu section of the library, and a moment later he was back at the Medical Jutsu section ten seconds ago.

_Hell yeah! Sasuke is going to be sooo jealous!_

All he needed now was a mission to test it out.

_____________________

Naruto jumped through the forest to his A-Rank mission, sporting his pack, two daishou swords, a brand new seal tattooed on his hip, and a moronic grin. He barely noticed the passing scenery as he sped towards Kusagakure where the target had been spotted.

Within three hours, he had located and engaged the target in a fight.

“This is exhilarating,” the missing-nin’s deep voice boomed. “I have the honor of killing Konoha’s Crimson Spiral, Akamaki.

Naruto growled behind his mask of red swirls originating from its center, “Kanzai, the Roaring Giant of Kiri. Prepare to die.” The two A-rank shinobi crashed through trees into a small clearing, caught in an intense taijutsu battle with neither gaining the upper hand. Kanzai whipped out his long sword from behind his broad back and sliced at his executioner. Naruto parried the attack with his wakizashi, slipping under the large enemy’s thick arm and delivering a chakra-backed blow to his side. Unfazed, Kanzai charged again with his powerful form. The sound of metal striking metal rang through the clearing. The giant accentuated each blow with a roar while Naruto twisted silently around his enemy’s body.

_Fuuton: Kamikaze!_

Naruto released a powerful gust of wind as soon as he saw an opening. Two tornadoes rushed at the missing-nin, sandwiching him. The wind tore at Kanzai’s sword arm until a thick log replaced his giant form. He reappeared behind Naruto to deliver a violent gash to his back. Naruto grunted in pain before forming seven Kage Bunshin to pummel Kanzai and buy him time to prepare his next attack. Naruto somersaulted a few paces away, landing in a crouch, and reached to pull an explosive note from his pack.

Suddenly, from under the Naruto clones, Kanzai roared,

_“Suiton: Gousuiwan (Great Water Arm) no Jutsu!”_

The clones were blown away as the missing-nin’s arm swelled and pounded into the bodies. Before Naruto could throw the explosive tag, Kanzai charged and smashed his giant fist into his side. He felt a rib crack as he flew across the clearing into a tree.

_Fuuton: Senpuuken (Whirlwind Fist)!_

Naruto retaliated with a giant whirlwind which flew into Kanzai’s leg, snapping the bone with a loud crunch. Naruto winced as he rose to his feet, clutching his side. He charged at Kanzai’s kneeling form to deliver a critical blow.

_Rasengan!_

_“Suiton: Suihachi (Water Wave Palm)!”_

Kanzai raised his engorged arm to shoot a powerful jet of water at Naruto's incoming blue sphere. The Rasengan drilled effortlessly through the core of the geyser and into the large open palm. On impact, the bloody hand snapped closed on Naruto's arm like a clawed animal trap, and he was thrown head-first into the ground nearby, causing his vision to momentarily black out. Ignoring the broken leg, the giant painfully hefted his bloody form to the younger man, sword raised to stab the incapacitated body, but suddenly multiple Kage Bunshin popped up around the clearing and the blond performed a  _kawarimi_. Kanzai spun around but couldn’t pull back in time to block a kick to his unbroken leg. Roaring in pain, he rolled backwards to dodge Naruto’s explosive tag detonating under him. Naruto leapt after the giant and grabbed his wakizashi which had fallen to the ground earlier. His blade slipped below Kanzai’s defending punch and sliced upwards across the wide chest. But instead of recoiling, Kanzai brought his own sword up and stabbed through his smaller opponent's side with his sword. In return, Naruto speared the missing-nin's stomach. They froze for a second, then both ripped their swords out of flesh and backed up, panting in pain.

“You little shit! I am going to _rip you apart_!” Kanzai bellowed and the two men reengaged in a battle of swords and taijutsu. Blood splattered the ground as their bodies suffered vicious attacks and exhaustion.

Naruto jumped back just in time to avoid a direct blow to the face. _Not the mask! Why is it always the mask?_ He seethed as a small piece of porcelain chipped off the edge, showing how close he had been to having his face sliced off.

Kanzai forced out a half-hysterical, guttural laugh as he leapt forward with his last burst of energy. “Don’t run away, boy. I want to see your face, the mysterious face that no one has ever seen and survived to tell the tale. I want to see it twist in agony as I gut the infamous Akamaki!”

"That is where you're wrong, bastard," Naruto snarled in growing fury. Ignoring his protesting body and the alarmed voice of his more rational mind, Naruto's face broke into a feral grin behind his mask – the mask which had thick, spiraling lines everyone mistook for swirls, which were actually nine blood-red, spiraling tails painted on white. "It's not Akamaki. It's Akashiori, the Crimson Tails! You are going to pay for damaging my mask!" Red mist engulfed the demon vessel's form as he furiously pumped angry red chakra into the seal on his hip and shouted,

_“Jikan Makikaeshi no Jutsu!”_

His world twisted and warped into red before losing consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is my foray into the Naruto fandom. There aren’t many MinaNaru stories out there, so I decided to contribute ;)
> 
> All jutsu mentioned so far – except for Jikan Makikaeshi – are legit. I’ll try not to go too crazy with those since I don’t want the characters to be inconceivably invincible.
> 
> February 6, 2016 (Originally posted May 12, 2012)


	2. Plight

**Chapter 2: Plight**

Naruto groaned as he began to register sounds and smells. He couldn't tell where he was or why he was lying face down on what he guessed was the hard, rocky ground. The thick smell of blood reached his sensitive nose, and he groaned again in disgust. The blond shifted to relieve pressure on his arm only to freeze when pain exploded in his side.  _Kami, what happened?_

He blinked open his heavy eyelids, his eyes slowly focusing on dark, moving shadows on the ground which he identified as belonging to humans. He didn't understand how he didn't detect them when they were only several feet away. He turned his head carefully to settle on one cheek.

"He's awake," a voice – a man – whispered.

The sandaled feet in front of him moved closer and Naruto tensed. "Can you understand me?" A female voice reached his ears.

Unable to move away, Naruto merely nodded.

"Good. How do you feel?"

"Like some insane missing-nin ran me over," he replied weakly as bits and pieces of his memory returned.

Someone snorted in the background, "More like ya' got torn apart. Never seen someone so shredded."

"We didn't dare move you until our medic-nin arrived," the woman spoke again, her voice laced with annoyance at the man. "I've managed to stop most of the bleeding, but I don't have the skills to treat your internal and head injuries."

Naruto's head began to pound as he tried to keep up with her words. He whimpered at the intense pain which suddenly engulfed his entire body, and it became difficult to draw air into his lungs. Why was Kyuubi not healing him?

"Hey, stay with me! Don't close your eyes!" The woman called out to him. "Fuck, where is Saki? He's going into shock!"

Seconds later, a warm sensation covered his head and spread down his spine. Naruto sighed in relief as the pressure in his head lessened.

"We're going to put you on your back now," a different female voice warned.

Naruto grit his teeth as his body was turned over, but the warm sensation returned, this time directed to his chest and stomach. He opened his tired eyes again to see a pair of kind eyes before succumbing to blackness.

_____________________

When Naruto woke again, the first thing he felt was wind against his face. He tightened his arms around whatever he was holding onto and carefully opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. How are you feeling?"

"…Better." Naruto rasped. He realized he was being carried on someone's back as they sped through the forest. "Who…?"

"Ahh, we're Konoha-nin, and I assume you are too from that tattoo on your shoulder and your uniform," the man said amicably. "It's good to see you alive. You were covered in blood, but it's mostly dried now. You had a severe concussion, stab wounds, broken ribs, chakra exhaustion, and internal bleeding."

"Um…," Naruto spoke hesitantly, unsure about his situation. "Where am I?"

"We're between Kusa and Hi no Kuni, headed to Konoha. We'll be there in a few minutes. In the meantime, how about we get to know each other better? I'm Kei, by the way. And you?"

"Naruto," he supplied shortly, uncertain how much information he should disclose.

"Okaaay… tell me about yourself. How did you end up all bloody back there?"

"I fought a missing-nin. I’m pretty sure I won."

A man to his left snorted loudly. "Won? Looked like ya' lost that one, kid."

"Satoru, be nice," a woman to his right reprimanded. "I'm Saki, the medic-nin of this jounin unit. The rude man is Satoru, and the kunoichi at point is Mika. We felt a chakra spike on our return from a mission and decided to investigate."

Feeling more comfortable with the team, he told a bit more about himself. "I had a mission near Kusa to eliminate an enemy nin. He was wicked with a sword, but I  _know_  I won the fight." He stated indignantly.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, kid." Satoru snickered. "You're a Hunter-nin right? You seem pretty young; how old are you?"

"Yeah… I'm eighteen. You know, you're not supposed to see my face. Actually, you are the first after the Hokage. Now I have to kill you, no matter how nice you've been," Naruto joked lightheartedly and placed the chipped mask hanging from his waist back on his face, "but I'll let you go this time since you guys saved my life. And saved my mask."

"How kind of you," Satoru said dryly.

"Team, we're home," Mika called from the front. They passed through the gate with little trouble, helped along by the Hunter-nin tattoo which could only be applied by the Hokage. The unit sped over rooftops to the Hokage Tower and arrived at the door to the Hokage's office at Naruto’s insistence.

"Enter," a male voice called them in from behind the door. They filed into the office and lined up in front of the Hokage's desk. The man behind the desk eyed them quizzically and opened his mouth to question their presence until he was interrupted by a loud yelp and heavy thud. The Hunter-nin had fallen off Kei's back in shock at seeing the Sandaime sitting behind the desk instead of a drunken Tsunade.

"W-what the hell!" Naruto stuttered from where he collapsed on the floor. Panic and a dreaded hunch grew within him as he stared at the man in shock. "S-Sandaime-Jijii…"  _Shit, shit, shit. What’s going on? What did I do? Ahhh, damage control. That's right, I need to do damage control, now._

"Hokage-sama!" Naruto stumbled to his feet and stood at attention. "I would like to request immediate private audience with you. I have urgent S-class information to deliver as soon as possible!" He continued hastily, this time using Hunter-nin codes for the highest of emergencies. "A red sun has risen from the West. Birds abandon lower nests. Shadows hover above." If his hunch was right, he was in deep shit…

The Sandaime's eyes widened and shoulders tensed visibly. "Team 21, dismissed! Report to mission control, and I will call for you once this issue has been resolved."

Members of Team 21 looked at each other in confusion but obeyed without question. Once the door closed behind them, Sarutobi activated Privacy Seals and directed hard eyes at the stranger standing in front of him. "Report!"

Naruto swayed slightly on his feet before straightening, removing his mask, and delivering a truthful overview of his plight to the man who was supposed to be long dead. "I, Uzumaki Naruto, am a Hunter-nin of Konohagakure. During a solo mission beginning between 12 to 14 hours ago, a jutsu of my own making malfunctioned, causing my being to be transported through time. Team 21 discovered, healed, and carried me here. Though I am uncertain of the current date, I am from the future and loyal to Konohagakure."

Thick silence reigned in the office.

"How can you prove this?"

"Uhh…" Naruto's professional demeanor crumbled as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm not really sure. Can I think on it?"

Sarutobi watched him with narrowed eyes. He sent a light pulse of chakra to connect with Naruto’s exposed tattoo, which would respond in kind if it were real. "I remember every ANBU and Hunter-nin I have branded. But I have no recollection of you. My every instinct calls you imposter,” the Hokage paused guardedly. “However, your mark of loyalty answered, strong and pure. Unless the secrets of the seal have been compromised, which is unlikely, you are a true Konoha shinobi.”

Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

“In no way does this mean you have my trust,” Sarutobi said sharply. “You tell a farfetched tale, but I have seen stranger things during the war. You have until you leave this room to prove yourself. Now, provide your identity in detail."

He hesitated. He didn't know what he should disclose and what he should keep to himself in this delicate situation. Gathering his thoughts, he began. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, age 18, orphan, Tokubetsu Jounin in the Infiltration & Reconnaissance division, and Hunter-nin code name Akashiori. I was apprenticed to Ero-senn…er…Jiraiya-sama since the age of 13 and gained Seal Mastery one year ago. Umm, yeah…" he trailed off awkwardly, keeping his heritage and status as the Kyuubi vessel to himself.

Naruto clenched a hand in nervousness. "Old man, can you tell me the date?"

Sarutobi raised his eyebrows at Naruto's rudeness but did as requested. The blond furrowed his brow in concentration before letting out a long, loud groan. "Fuuuck, I've landed twenty-four years in the past, and I don't think I can get back to my time."

The Hokage gazed skeptically upon Naruto's despairing form. "How can you be certain?"

Naruto reached into his pack to pull out a containment scroll from which he unsealed a black scroll. He spread it open on the desk for Sarutobi to see. "This is the seal that I used to transport myself. It was supposed to only turn back a few minutes at most, but during battle, I got carried away and pumped too much chakra into it."

Sarutobi's head snapped up in disbelief. "From what I see here, you would need an impossible amount of chakra to rewind this much time!"

"Uh…I might have forgotten to mention that I'm the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox…"

The Sandaime eyes widened. "Jinchuuriki. Uzumaki. I see… So it continues to the next generation,” he murmured bitterly. “That would certainly make this plausible. Uzumaki-san, you mentioned you believe yourself unable to return."

Naruto shrugged casually, trying to hold back his panic. "I never looked into a reversal or fail safe, and since the basis of the seal is to rewrite time, I've technically erased my past, at least for myself." His shoulders drooped lower as he spoke. "I don't know about other people in my time. Maybe they move on with their lives without me, making this like an alternate dimension or parallel universe… You believe me?"

"Not completely. I give you the benefit of the doubt solely for the mark on your arm. Can you prove you are indeed from the future?"

The blond shut his eyes, deep in thought. "I can show you Kyuubi’s seal, which is still in development in this time. Damn, there’s no way to verify future events since they haven’t happened yet. Maybe a blood test to prove my ancestry? I have a contract with the Toads Summons, or I used to. I’m not sure how time travel affects the space-time continuum. Oh, I know what’ll convince you!" Naruto smirked. "I know all the places you hide those perverted Icha Icha books, like the hidden compartment in the book “Manual for Toilet Cleaning Best Practices” in the second bookshelf. And I might even have an old draft of volume 7 in my pack."

The Hokage leaned forward in his chair as his eyes glinted dangerously. "Boy, do not mock a kage. Show me!" he demanded.

"Oh? What are you referring to?" Naruto snickered.

Sarutobi grunted in embarrassment. "The seal, of course. The seal."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay, here." He lifted his flak jacket and undershirt and carefully pumped chakra into the seal on his stomach but frowned when nothing happened. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized he could barely feel chakra in his body. "Wha…?" He tried again, pushing chakra with more strength, until finally the seal appeared faintly.

"Something's wrong with my coils, old man. Give me a moment to check something." Without waiting for a response, Naruto sank into his mindscape. When he arrived at the demon's cage, his breath hitched in surprise.

'Kurama!' Naruto rushed forward and easily slipped between the bars. 'Kurama, what's wrong with you? What happened?' The fox's red form had grown in size, but he was trembling and gasping shallow breaths. What the boy could see of his body looked stretched and taunt. He was curled up in a tight ball, obviously in extreme pain.

' _Kit?'_  The fox panted.  _'What has h-happened out there? I cannot c-concentrate enough t-to look.'_  Naruto tried to stroke his fur, but snatched his hand away as it burned his skin.

'I pumped too much chakra into the time seal. We've traveled too far back in time – over two decades. Sandaime-Jijii is alive!'

' _That explains my condition,'_  a violent shudder wracked Kyuubi's frame.  _'It didn't just r-rewind time; it transported your body through time and p-placed you in the past.'_

'Placed me in the past? Then why weren't there two of me when we tested it in the library?'

' _I am not certain. My guess is that your body replaces or m-merges with the past's when you reappear.'_

'Then…what about now?' Naruto furrowed his brow. 'Why am I alive when there isn't a me to replace?'

' _It is possible that since t-there isn't anything to merge with, you remain as your own entity.'_

Naruto took a closer look at the dingy cage around them. 'What about you? Why are you like this?' Naruto gestured at his feverish form. 'Is it because there's another you in this time?'

' _Most likely.'_  Kyuubi paused to curl tighter into himself, his chakra spiked before receding.  _'I believe this is d-due to the Yin portion of my chakra. Your dratted f-father sealed my Yin chakra within the Shinigami and my Y-yang chakra in you. However, in this time, your mother holds both the Yin and Yang…'_

'So that means the Yin chakra in my mom merged into you when we appeared here,' Naruto exclaimed. 'Are you in pain because of my father's seal?'

' _P-possibly. His seal was made to hold only m-my Yang chakra. It currently feels as if I am being s-strangled. My b-being is becoming too large to be c-contained within the existing seal._ _I have tried to keep it at bay, but using your chakra a minute ago has upset the balance._ _'_

'What if I expand the seal?' Naruto asked in panic. 'Would that work? Adding another Four Symbols Seal to make it a Twelve Tringrams Seal. I’ll infuse a Three Point Seal for stabilization.'

' _The theory is l-logical. Y-you can only t-try.'_  The fox's breathing became even shallower. ' _Hurry! We are running short on time. T-the seal is about to s-shatter, and we will both perish!'_  A larger chakra spike flared from Kyuubi's body.

'Can I do it in mindscape, or do I need to go back outside?'

' _It m-matters not!'_

Naruto shoved his hand into his pack for the scroll containing all of his materials on Sealing.  _Found it!_  Tossing everything else aside, he threw open the scroll on Spirit Sealing. The Seal Master slammed a kunai into his left hand and dipped his brush into the dripping blood. He mentally materialized a large sheet of paper to duplicate the Four Symbols Seal. Working as rapidly as possible without making a mistake, he hastily covered the surface with a seal made up of three Four Symbol Seals and the triangular Three Point Seal. As a precaution, he added Five-Seal Barriers to the corners and center to prevent physical destruction to the seal itself.

Once completed, he threw aside the brush and slammed his new seal on top of his father's rapidly fraying seal. With a fleeting hope that it wouldn’t blow up in their faces, he pumped in all the chakra he could gather, both Kyuubi's and his own. The seal glowed bright red and suddenly a huge red flash and tremors rocked his mindscape.

'Kurama!' He yelled, but his voice could not penetrate the rumbling and creaking of his surroundings.

An ear-splitting roar from the convulsing fox shot through his mindscape and jolted up his spine. Following the jolt, sharp agony pulsed in his head. Through his scrunched eyes, Naruto could barely see the ceiling cracking, crumbling, and reforming. Pipes ripped apart, clanking as they hit the ground. Large chunks of concrete tumbled down onto Naruto as he clutched his head and scrambled to flatten himself against the closest wall. Muddy sewer water splashed onto him as the chunks crashed onto the flooded corridor, only to be absorbed by the ground.

He grit his teeth against the pain and finally understood what was happening; his mindscape was reshaping to accommodate the new seal and chakra. He could vaguely see the walls elongating. The ceiling rose, and with it the metal cage bars lengthened. On the opposite side of the falling concrete, he could make out the cage widening and the fox growing in size, keening as his body stretched painfully.

Kami, his head felt like it was splitting!

Naruto sobbed and lamented the destruction of his mindscape. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stabilize his mind. He hoped his already-questionable sanity would survive the trauma. He wished for Kurama's well-being. He begged for survival. He just wanted everything to be  _better_ , for both him and the Kyuubi who had become his most trusted friend, confidant, advisor, brother, father, colleague, and partner in crime.

After what felt like hours, the quake eased. As pain receded, he opened his eyes, fearing the damage his mindscape was sure to have suffered.

The first thing he noticed was the soft glow. His vision sharpened and Naruto stared in awe.  _What the…?_

The sewer was gone. Disappeared. Transformed.

In its place was grass, rolling hills, trees,  _a sunset_. What previously was sewer water had become a flowing spring with fish swimming in its clear water. He felt gentle wind ruffling his hair and saw clouds floating in the sky.

How had  _this_  become his mindscape? Surely he was dreaming. No one had heard of such a thing happening. He remembered the conversations with Yamanaka Inoichi who described most minds as a single colored expanse decorated with doors, usually imitating the color of the individual's chakra, with memories and thoughts flashing by. Pure minds, usually children, had unblemished memories while those of people tainted by evil and insanity had frayed or chipped images, depending on the severity of damage.

How could his scarred mind be a peaceful landscape, with memories and thoughts lightly flowing down the tumbling waterfall?

Kyuubi hummed in relief.

Naruto turned to the bijuu and saw him lying behind tall, white columns of limestone, not really a cage – just a barrier between Kyuubi's space and the passage out of his mindscape. He strolled over to the tired fox, past the columns, and rubbed the side of his muzzle.

'Kurama?' Naruto ventured.

The fox hummed again.  _'Yes, Naruto?'_

'How do you feel?'

' _Tired. Stable. Peaceful.'_

The jinchuuriki's lips curved into a gentle smile. 'Look around you.'

Kyuubi cracked open an eye.  _'Impressive.'_

'Do you know how this happened?'

' _You wished, dear friend. You wished for something better, and in the overhaul, your mind was able to grant that wish.'_

'Is this permanent?'

' _It is, unless you change the seal again or you lose your sanity.'_

'Then we have to make sure my mind stays strong.'

' _Yes,'_  Kyuubi replied.  _'Now let me rest. My chakra should have finally begun to heal your remaining injuries. I will call when I am recovered.'_

'Okay, sleep well.'

Naruto pulled himself out of his mindscape and opened his eyes. He looked around the room – the lounge connected to the Hokage's office – and called out to the man he could see through the doorway. "Sandaime-Jijii."

The old man, who was not so old as Naruto remembered, paused in his paperwork and raised concerned eyes at the boy lying on the sofa.

"Uzumaki-kun, how do you feel?" Sarutobi strolled over.

The boy chuckled wearily. "I've heard that question too many times in the past day. I feel good right now compared to several minutes ago. How long have I been out?"

"You arrived in the office past 9 this morning. It is now nearing midnight."

"Wow." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You were convulsing, and your unstable chakra continued to spike all throughout the afternoon. I considered moving you to the hospital but kept you here to avoid an uproar and rumors," the Sandaime explained. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Naruto nodded tiredly. "I know that Uzumaki Kushina is the jinchuuriki right now, and you might have guessed that she's my mother. When I popped into this time, the two Kyuubis merged. My Kyuubi took over as dictated by the time seal. He’s made up of only Yang chakra but her Kyuubi contains both Yin and Yang. In the merge, the Yin was absorbed into my body with the Yang, overloading the seal on my bijuu's cage."

"And I presume you were able to resolve the problem? I observed the seal changing during the peek of your convulsions."

"Yeah, I’ve studied a bit of Spirit Sealing since I'm a jinchuuriki so I came up with a way to strengthen the seal and stabilize the rest of the chakra." Naruto grinned smugly. "I gotta say, I'm pretty awesome."

Sarutobi began to chuckle, which gradually broke into a full, outright laugh. "I must agree with you. Uzumaki-kun. I have seen enough to know you are being truthful. I officially reinstate you as a shinobi of Konohagakure, retaining your previous status and rank. Welcome to my Konoha."

The Hunter/jounin's grin grew wider. "Yes, sir! And Jijii, I'm going to keep calling you 'Old Man' so you have to call me Naruto. Just Naruto."

"I shall do so, Naruto," Sarutobi conceded. "Before you retire for the night, we must devise a cover story and find you a place to stay."

"Umm, I think I should change my last name since Uzumaki Kushina is an orphan."

"Correct. What would you suggest?"

"How about Uzuhara, since I'll probably forget if it's too different. And I definitely want to keep my first name; I like it too much. We don't have to lie about me being an orphan. Can I have been placed under a deep cover mission in Kusa, since your team found me around there? I specialize in infiltration & reconnaissance, so that'd make sense right?"

"That is satisfactory for now. I will fabricate the appropriate documents at a later time. Now we must find you accommodation. I think it would be best to place you in the ANBU Headquarters to minimize questioning due to your sudden appearance."

Naruto paused with slight discomfort. "I guess that works." He donned his mask.

"Akashiori, return at some time tomorrow, and we will discuss the details of your duties. Rest well." Sarutobi gave him a kind smile before calling in an escort to take the Hunter-nin to his new home.

"Thanks, old man. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, Naruto followed the ANBU escort out of the office.

_____________________

Naruto flopped onto the comfortable bed in the sparsely decorated room.

The trip to Headquarters located at Konoha outskirts had been awkwardly silent after Naruto's first several questions received one-word responses. Once they arrived, he had been allowed to choose a room from the list of uninhabited ones. He carefully chose a sixth floor window room facing the indoor training facility. The room was just taller than the facility, tactically providing him an alternate exit from Headquarters.

The blond stared at the seal containing Kyuubi and carefully reviewed what had happened.

He had messed up his time jutsu, ended up twenty-four years in the past, doubled Kyuubi's chakra, reinforced the seal, gotten his job back, and acquired a home. He had been incredibly lucky: lucky that he had survived; lucky that it was Konoha-nin that had discovered him; lucky that he had fixed the seal in time; lucky that the Hokage had accepted him; and lucky that he had a warm bed to sleep in. He had never before been so thankful for his awe-inspiring good fortune.

However, it had also been bad fortune to have landed in the past in the first place. This thought threw him into a sudden bout of depression. Naruto knew, though he refused to admit it yet, that there was no way to return to his time. By landing in the past, he had erased his past; his slate had been wiped clean. It was impossible to jump forward in time, only jump back. You can't jump into what hasn't happened.

And since he had been thrown into a world before he was born, he could no longer take the place of this reality's Naruto. There was a possibility of successfully replacing baby Naruto once he was born, but that was years ahead.

Regardless, he was never going to see his precious people again. There would be versions of them within this reality, but they wouldn't be  _his_  precious people. They wouldn't be  _his_  Iruka-sensei,  _his_  Sasuke,  _his_  Kakashi-sensei,  _his_  Tsunade Ba-baa,  _his_  Ero-sennin. They would all belong to baby Naruto, and even if he did replace him, it would never be the same.

Naruto felt tears collect in his eyes. He wanted to curl up and cry, but what good would crying do? It wouldn't improve the situation one bit so he did his best to hold back.

' _Just let go, kit.'_

Naruto clenched his jaw. "No."

' _It may not help to cry, but suppressing will only hurt you. You know that.'_  Kyuubi's soothing voice rumbled from within.  _'Just let go.'_

He choked.

' _That's it, let it all out. Let out your grief,'_  the fox coaxed softly.  _'There is no need to be strong right now. Your spirit is already strong, so never fear vulnerability behind closed doors. Just cleanse yourself of your anguish.'_

Naruto couldn't hold back any longer. Tears flowed down his cheeks as near-silent sobs wracked his body. He gasped for air and thought of all the times he shared ramen with Iruka-sensei. He remembered the terrible D-rank missions with his team. Trying to peak at Kakashi-sensei's face. Saving Ero-sennin from angry naked women. Sharing quiet moments with Gaara. The battles fought alongside his precious people.

So many memories which were now mere memories and no longer reality.

It hit him that he had lost every single one of his precious people in one single moment, and the pain tore at his heart. All for one  _insignificant_ Hunter's mask.

Kurama pulled the boy into his mindscape and wrapped a comforting tail around Naruto's shaking form. He could only provide warmth and promise of companionship. The fox was Naruto's last living remnant of his past. And they both knew there would be more grief to come when he met his precious people as strangers.

'Kyuu, it hurts.' Naruto whispered.

' _I know, kit. I know.'_

'I want it to stop hurting.' Rain began to drizzle in the cloudy mindscape.

' _I know, and I also know you can overcome this.'_

'But I don't want to forget.' He sounded so young.

' _You don't have to.'_

'Will you help me remember?'

' _I will. Always.'_

'Promise?'

' _I promise. We shall never be apart.'_

'Forever?'

' _For all of your mortal life.'_

'Then what about you?'

' _Perhaps I will accompany you to the afterlife.'_

'That sounds nice.'

' _Yes, it does. Now, sleep. I will be here when you wake.'_

'I love you, Kyuu…'

' _I love you as well, my dear, dear friend.'_

'Mmm…'

Naruto's tremors faded as his breathing evened out. Kyuubi watched over him in the dreary landscape of the mind. He gently licked away the last of Naruto's tears and settled down to rest his own drained body.

' _It will be better tomorrow.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I cried from writing…the sadness is waaay more intense when you write than when you read – an enlightening experience *sniffles*
> 
> Next chapter, enter Minato!


	3. Roller Coaster

**Chapter 3: Roller Coaster**

_Crap, crap, crap! You're doing a fantastic job of making good impressions._  Naruto thought contemptuously as he leapt from roof to roof. He had woken eighteen hours after falling into fitful sleep, making it six in the evening already, which was a considerably late and rude time to request any meeting with any authority – not that he had cared before. He cursed. This Sandaime hadn't developed the affectionate leniency towards him that  _his_  Old Man had.  _And probably never will_ , his mind despaired.

Waking up to the approaching sunset, the blond had eyed his disgusting Hunter-nin uniform before throwing it aside for thorough scrubbing and slipped into an extra set stored in one of his scrolls. Now heading to the Hokage Tower, he could finally appreciate the beauty of the village bathed in orange light.

Peace.

Everything felt so peaceful. There was no evidence of strife or disrepair like the Konoha in his time. None of them knew of the Third Shinobi World War already building in the shadows. Civilians lived without fear, and shinobi joked about missions. He watched children playing in the Academy playground, so similar to the scenes from his own childhood before shit hit the fan. A tiny smile formed behind his mask.

_I have to protect this._

_____________________

"I hope you enjoyed a good night's rest, Naruto." Sarutobi chuckled at the rude apology tumbling out of the boy’s mouth.

"Actually yeah, I feel refreshed, but I'm having major problems with chakra control. I might have dislodged a bunch of roof tiles on my way here." Naruto confessed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck with a nervous arm.

Sarutobi nodded in amusement. "Yes, a side-effect of chakra overload. I will place you on post-mission recess for one week. Spend that time settling down and training. I expect a detailed report on your progress at the conclusion of the week. Then, you will be assigned duties depending upon how far you have recovered with your control." The Hokage formed a suspiciously innocent smile. "There is always need for mission filing and catching wayward cats."

Naruto's expression turned to one of horror. "Please, not mission filing or the cat! I'll work hard so we won't  _ever_  need to consider that."

He shuddered mentally.  _'Kyuu, I bet ten bowls of ramen that it's Tora's great-grandfather.'_

' _Pity there is no way to prove it,'_  the sleepy fox replied with a rumbling chuckle.

"I will also need to assess your skills. We will schedule theory and combat exams once you recover. You will also need to be evaluated mentally and physically."

Naruto felt like whimpering. "Exams! Have mercy…" He  _hated_  those exams! He hated exams in general. They didn't sit right with him, and he didn't want to sit for them either. It was a long-standing hate-hate relationship in which he always lost, no matter how many times he tried to sneak his way out.

Sarutobi couldn't stifle his laughter at the poor boy's desperately begging eyes. He had suffered through the same pain and dread when he was part of the ANBU many years before, which was why he was sympathetic to their suffering, but felt next to no remorse at assigning those exams. All effective leaders needed a sadistic streak in them to succeed, after all. On the other hand, this boy looked like he needed a little break from life's own sadistic streak. "Very well, I will be lenient this once. This impromptu assessment in June will replace the coming semiannual fall evaluations, meaning your next full evaluation will be in the spring, eight months from now. Is that satisfactory?"

"Yeah, you're the best! Thank you, old man!" The blond grinned ear to ear, bouncing out of his misery as quickly as he had fallen in. Sarutobi noted with a frown, he would need to ask Yamanaka-kun to perform a more thorough mental examination for this one.

"Let us continue on to more serious matters." Sarutobi's countenance shifted into one of powerful authority. "I met with a frantic Uzumaki Kushina-san earlier today; she confirmed Kyuubi is missing. She reported feeling him being 'warped' out at around the time you arrived in this timeline. I assured her that everything is fine, but she may still be sensitive to its demonic chakra and therefore it will be best for you to stay away from her for now. We must label Kyuubi's condition, as well as your background, an SS-class secret, only known between the Hokage and yourself, and if we wish for another to learn of this information it will only be through both our approvals."

Naruto donned his Hunter mask, suddenly becoming Akashiori, the professional operative. He'd learned his lesson on idiocy just two days ago, and it was a lesson he wasn't going to ignore for a long while.

"Furthermore, we must decide how to proceed with your knowledge of our future. While it will be of great assistance in political affairs, I am aware of the dangerous consequences of meddling with time. To maintain our advantage, we must not be hasty." He paused. "How much and how well do you know of the shinobi history?"

"I was required to extensively study both history and politics in preparation for my possible future role in the village. While some details may have slipped my memory, I retain a clear timeline of events, catalysts, and outcomes."

"Future role? Elaborate."

"I was a candidate for the Rokudaime Hokage selected by the Godaime Hokage. However, I know that is no longer feasible. Instead, I could be of better use as personal advisor to the Hokage." Naruto hesitated before continuing carefully. "…I do not fully trust the Council."

Sarutobi immediately understood; Naruto was giving his first hint, warning him of internal conflict or possible treason within his ranks. He nodded gravely. "Your proposition has merit and your counsel will be a valuable asset to the village, but first I must ask you: how can I trust your word and intentions?"

Naruto tensed before squaring his shoulders and walking purposefully to stand in front of the Sandaime Hokage, leader of his beloved home.

"Hokage-sama." The Hunter-nin held his mask over his heart. He kneeled on one knee at the Sandaime's feet and bowed his head. "I swear in the name of Oinari-sama that I will not intentionally misguide Konohagakure or abuse my knowledge of the future for personal or malicious gain. I will protect Konohagakure from long-lasting strife and destruction to the best of my abilities. I have in my possession a Divine Contract to hold me to my word. Through the contract, I tie my loyalties to Konohagakure's Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Only by order of the Hokage in office can my loyalties be reassigned to future Hokages of Konohagakure. I will never go back on my word – this is my nindo."

Sarutobi stared at the complex man in front of him with respect. This man was offering to bind himself to this village by the highest order of contracts, one which would have the Great Fox Deity curse him to hell if breached. His unwavering honor and integrity were astounding and Sarutobi could now clearly see why Uzumaki Naruto had been nominated for Hokage-ship. The Will of Fire burned strongly within him.

To respect this extraordinary young man and the honor – yes, receiving his protection was a great honor – bestowed upon the Hokage and this village, Sarutobi gladly accepted the offered pledge. "Uzumaki Naruto, also known under Akashiori and Uzuhara Naruto: I receive your vow of loyalty and appoint you as my Personal Advisor. You will answer to Konohagakure's Hokage and only to the Hokage."

Naruto extracted the contract scroll and held it out for Sarutobi to finalize. When both had signed in blood, a small seal in the form of a flame resembling a fox marked his left arm to match the Hunter-nin tattoo on his right as evidence of his dual pledge and bond. From the shadows, Naruto would guide the Will of Fire and eliminate enemies of Konoha.

The blond raised intense, blue eyes to meet the Sandaime's wise ones and held the gaze steadily, wordlessly communicating his determination.

Then Naruto grinned widely, abruptly shattering the mood. "Sandaime-Jijii, I'm hungry! Wanna treat me to Ichiraku ramen?" His eyes transformed in to those of a puppy dog begging to be fed. "There  _is_  an Ichiraku here, right?" He looked mortified by the idea of Ramen Ichiraku not existing.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sarutobi tossed his head back and guffawed.

"I have not laughed this much in years, gaki. You will be a joy to have around. Let us head to dinner and yes, it will be my treat. Worry not, Ramen Ichiraku has a long history in Konoha."

"Great! You better get your wallet ready because I eat  _a lot_."

_____________________

Naruto was once again lying comfortably on his bed, deep in thought.

Tonight, Naruto examined the seals on his arms. The left held the flame of Konoha and the right held the swirl of an assassin. He had always been proud of his Hunter tattoo, distinguishable from the ANBU tattoo only by its placement on the opposite arm. Now he sported another tattoo to be proud of, although this seal would be the heaviest. The assassin marks, simple but elegant, held meanings only understood between those who wore them, but he alone carried the weight of the flame. He feared he was not ready to shoulder the responsibility, yet he knew he would be ready out of necessity.

He just needed to believe in the flame.

Throughout Naruto's short life, his loyalty to Konoha had never faltered because to him, Konoha was his precious people. His loyalty to the Sandaime had also never faltered because to him, the old man was the guardian of Konoha, of his precious people. Now he had knowledge and ability to express his gratitude to the grandfatherly figure and precious friends who had guided him through childhood.

This time he would be the guide. Whether it was for the people of his past or for the people of his present was irrelevant. There was so much to protect. The smiles on people's faces were like a balm for his abused soul, and he had been reminded of the happiness twice tonight.

He had felt contentment in sharing the joy of ramen with Sandaime-Jijii and exchanging stories, several of which he had already heard before but enjoyed hearing again regardless. And seeing Teuchi of Ichiraku had been an unexpected but pleasant surprise. He was so young – only in his twenties! The man was apprenticed to the current owner of Ichiraku, his father Teuji, a kind man who handed out generous smiles so similar to Teuchi's in the future.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to guzzle Teuchi's ramen next to Iruka-sensei or watch Sasuke attempt to eat elegantly.

' _Ramen isn't made to be eaten strand by strand, Teme! Slurp it like you mean it!_ ' He had shouted only two months ago.

The time traveler let out a chuckle before sinking into melancholy. Those desires would be forever beyond his grasp. Iruka-sensei would never again be his teacher, and Sasuke would never again be his rival. They would never again share the same relationships and connect in the same way.

He growled at himself. At this rate, he was going to fall into chronic depression. If he didn't snap himself out of it, he would hinder his own growth as a shinobi and integration into this world.

Jumping off the bed, he changed into comfortable sweatpants and t-shirt and headed to the laundry room with his blood-soaked uniform. This would give him something to do. Clothes this bloody had to first be scrubbed thoroughly by hand, and only then could they be dumped into the wash.

Naruto sat before a bucket of water scrubbing angrily.  _Anger is good. Better than nostalgia. Much better than grief._  The water tinted dark brown as blood melted out of the stained fabric and a coppery stench filled room. His Hunter-nin uniform was the favorite set of clothing he owned. It was identical to the ANBU uniform except in color. Whereas the ANBU vest and arm guards were steel grey, Hunter garb was fully dark grey, allowing agents to meld with shadows at night and blend into shadows in daylight. To him, the dark grey represented protection and safety. It allowed him to hide, both physically and emotionally when he knew he wasn't welcome. It also allowed him acceptance among those who may not have accepted Uzumaki Naruto. It was the shield he carried when he was too tired to fight back.

"You!"

Naruto whipped around to face the shout, almost upending the bucket.

"So you're the one leaking chakra all over the place."

The Hunter-nin choked as a figure came into view. The man had blond hair and bright blue eyes.

Blue like his own.

This was no doubt Namikaze Minato, his father, Konoha's Yellow Flash, the future Yondaime Hokage, Savior of this World, the bastard who died sealing Kyuubi into him.

"Hello, is anyone in there?" The man peered intently at his face.

Naruto snapped out of his daze. "Sorry, what?"

"I said that you're leaking chakra. I haven't been able to sleep because of it!"

The jinchuuriki took in the image of the man, not sure how he should feel. Here was the man who had been his idol. But this was also the man who was responsible for much of his misery. Naruto may have resolved things with his father when they met in his mind, but he couldn't simply forget the deep scars even when offered sincere apologies and heartfelt tears. Naruto had rarely felt hate, but he often felt resentment whenever he recalled the beatings and hurtful words from sneering villagers. There had been times where he was consumed by resentment from which only his precious people could pull him out.

But this Minato was an innocent stranger. It was wrong to feel anger toward this man who had not yet done anything. Taking a deep breath, he decided to treat this Namikaze Minato as he would any stranger on the street.

_But he wasn't ready to deal with this stranger yet!_

"I was about to search for you and ask what's wrong, but your chakra faded out before I could. Lucky I bumped into you here. Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine." Naruto stuttered and flushed at his own awkwardness.

"That's a blatant lie." Minato countered firmly. "Your chakra is crying. No, it's howling. Even shinobi who've lost their family have calmer chakra."

Naruto looked down and began scrubbing in earnest. "Well…"

"You…oh." _Lost something precious._

"Yeah…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Minato asked softly.

"Uhh…" Naruto decided the uniform had been sufficiently scrubbed and hastily dumped it in an empty machine.

"It always helps to get it off your shoulders, and I'd be happy to lend an ear."

"I-it's alright. Sorry, I'vegottogonow!" After making sure his laundry was cycling, Naruto dashed from the room as if hounded by all seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He ran six flights at full speed to his room and slammed the door, panicking on the emotional roller coaster that never seemed to end. He slid slowly down to the floor and leaned his head back on the locked and bolted door, attempting the futile task of calming his breathing.

_What a mess._

He had lost his entire world; he lived near his father; he couldn't control his chakra; and apparently his chakra was howling.

_I'm messed up._

The walls felt like they were closing in and he had to get out of there! Hurriedly changing into his extra uniform and donning his mask, Naruto leapt out of his window. His dark form melted into the shadows as he headed to the Forest of Death where there would be trees and predators to blow up.

He needed make sure the stranger with blond hair and blue eyes would have nothing to complain about after tonight.

_____________________

Minato swept through Headquarters in confusion. He couldn’t find him anywhere. After the incident in the laundry room, he had sat frozen, thinking about the stranger for half an hour until the machines beeped. No one, aside from his enemies, had ever run so quickly to escape him. The kid hadn’t returned to dry his clothes, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be back any time soon.

Partly out of courtesy and a much, much larger part out of curiosity, Minato decided to dry the Hunter-nin’s uniform for him and hold onto it for safekeeping. Or he just wanted an excuse to meet to the tortured young man again. He felt like a budding stalker when he checked the roster for the new guy’s identity. Uzuhara Naruto. _Interesting name. Why is he staying with ANBU?_

By noon, his frustration was about to reach its boiling point. He couldn’t feel Naruto’s turbulent chakra anywhere in the building or anywhere in the village, in fact. He must have left the village…

That wasn’t possible. Hokage-sama would never send anyone so unstable out on a mission. Obviously he was both mentally and physically traumatized. Furthermore, all shinobi required permission to leave the village. Minato doubted the Hokage would have approved that either. There was a third option which was just as impossible: Naruto could have gained control over his chakra. But no one could fix something so out of sync in mere hours.

After waiting three more hours with no sign of the smaller blond, Minato gave in and made a visit to the Hokage Tower.

“Hokage-sama.”

“Good afternoon, Minato-kun. What can I do for you today?”

“Sir, I would like to make an inquiry about a fellow ninja.”

Sarutobi arched an eyebrow. “Is that so? And who might this ninja be?”

“Uzuhara Naruto.”

His eyebrow rose another inch. “And for what reasons are you requesting his information?”

“He is staying in the room next to mine in ANBU Headquarters. Due to his current lack of chakra control, I felt Uzuhara-san’s emotional agony leaking out. Coincidentally, I met him last night while doing laundry, but he all but ran from the room. I may be encroaching on his privacy, but I would like to help him. I cannot comprehend how he retains his sanity.”

Sarutobi eyed the ANBU Captain thoughtfully and nodded. “Only because I know you will not abuse this knowledge, I will provide you with the bare minimum. Uzuhara Naruto is a Hunter-nin of one year. Eighteen years-old and very efficient. He returned two days ago from a long-term mission. As you can tell, he has indeed suffered emotional trauma and life-threatening distress to his chakra coils. I fully trust him with my life, as should you. You will have to discover anything more on your own. I _strongly_ advise discretion while handling his case.”

Minato’s eyes widened in surprise at the Hokage’s high praise of the elusive Hunter-nin. “Thank you, sir.”

“Additionally, he will undergo a full shinobi assessment in a week or two…,” Sarutobi hinted.

“Hokage-sama!” Minato bowed deeply. “Please allow me to face him for the combat evaluation.”

Sarutobi smiled. “I was hoping you would say that. Permission granted. Do be careful with him. Uzuhara-kun is a fine young man, but even I do not know the full extent of damage he is suffering.”

“Yes, sir. I will do my best to help.”

“Is that all Minato-kun?”

“There is one more thing…” Minato shuffled in embarrassment. “I can’t seem to locate Uzuhara-san. It seems as if he is no longer in the village.”

“O-ho? He is able to elude even you?” Sarutobi chuckled. “He is most certainly still in the village. You will just need to put more effort into finding him.”

Minato left the Hokage Tower reassured but also feeling like a full-fledged stalker. He only met Uzuhara less than a day ago and was already developing unhealthy obsessive tendencies…

A week later, Minato still hadn’t seen hide or hair of the younger blond. He’d been on constant lookout but found nothing. _Nothing at all._

He fumed when Sandaime-sama insisted Naruto was in the village but wouldn’t tell him where. He had looked _everywhere_. One thing was certain: the kid’s chakra was perfectly under control now. For heaven’s sake, if he, ANBU Captain of Konoha’s fourth best ANBU unit, couldn’t detect him, Naruto most definitely deserved his position on the Hunter-nin force, which demanded high prerequisites of control. Minato, a confident and talented shinobi elite, only barely admitted the blow to his pride.

Now he was again standing before Sandaime-sama’s desk waiting patiently for a mystery guest who was already ten minutes late for the meeting.

“Hokage-sama, I am curious as to who…” Minato began, but was interrupted by a figure flying through the open window and somersaulting into a crouch.

“Hokage-Jijii, sorry I’m late!” Naruto gasped for air. “I got held up by a pack of giant hyenas!”

“Uzuhara-san!” Minato exclaimed, recognizing the blond hair and scarred cheeks.

Naruto froze. “Oh. Hello.”

“Right, we haven’t been introduced yet.” The larger blond turned to the amused man sitting behind the desk. “Hokage-sama, if I may?”

“Go ahead, Minato-kun.”

Minato turned to fully face the younger boy and nodded his head with a charming smile. “My name is Namikaze Minato, age 19, and part of the ANBU force. It’s nice to finally meet you properly.”

“Uzum…Uzuhara Naruto. 18.”

“Hokage-sama told me you’ve been a Hunter-nin for a year now. That’s impressive.” Minato praised.

“Uhh…well, your uniform means you’re an ANBU Captain, right? To rise through the ranks: that’s even more impressive.”

“Maybe, but you’re good. _Really good_. I couldn’t sense your chakra at all! Where were you all week?”

“I was around…” Naruto answered evasively.

Minato huffed. “Well, you certainly made yourself scarce.”

Naruto replied with one word. “Apes.”

“Apes…apes…you don’t mean the Nin-Apes in the Forest of Death…do you?” Minato threw an incredulous look at Naruto’s flat stare. “Hah! Then I was right to worry about you.”

“Worry about me?” Naruto cocked his head in confusion.

“That’s right, I was worried since you went missing for an entire week.”

“But…we hardly know each other!”

“Which still means we know each other to some degree, so I’m allowed to worry.” Minato stated resolutely.

The corners of Naruto’s lips twitched upward. “You’re weird, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

Minato’s eyes lit up as he grinned. “So what were you doing all week with those giant nin-apes in that mad jungle?”

With a deliberate cough, Sarutobi cut him off. “Minato-kun, you will have time to question Naruto later. Now that we have been properly introduced and brought up to date, we shall move on to the next order of business. Naruto, your assessment is coming up. What progress have you made in your recovery?”

“I’m fully recovered, old man.” Naruto smirked.

 _‘Old man’?_ Minato repeated in his head, directing another incredulous look at the ninja next to him.

Sarutobi, on the other hand, was obviously untroubled by the rude nickname and nodded with an approving smile. “Wonderful! Please submit a written report at a later time. Let us first schedule your assessment for two days from today. Minato-kun will be evaluating you in combat, which will take place at nine in the morning at ANBU Training Ground 4. The rest of your assessment will follow throughout the day.” He examined the exposed faces of the two talented shinobi for signs of disagreement. Naruto’s face had fallen into a frown, clearly unhappy about the prospect of facing off against Minato.

“I will treat the winner to five free meals.” Sarutobi added slyly.

Naruto perked up. “Really? Five?”

“Yes. All-you-can-eat.”

 _“All-you-can-eat…”_ Naruto whispered reverently.

The Hunter-nin grinned widely. “Alright then, anything for my ramen! See ya later, old man!” With a mock salute, he hopped out the window before anything else could be said.

Minato stared owlishly, stunned by the first happy expression he had seen on Naruto’s face.

“Minato-kun?” Sarutobi inquired.

“Oh…I apologize.” The blond tore his gaze from the empty window and bowed. “Thank you for the opportunity, Hokage-sama. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Pretending no to hear the Sandaime’s mumbled complaints about paperwork, he jumped through the window and swept keen eyes across rooftops for any sign of Naruto. The image of the grin warmed his heart, leaving him relieved that the younger man was still able to smile.

 _Over there!_ He increased his pace.

“Uzuhara-san! Wait up.” Minato called out.

The figure in dark grey Hunter-nin garb slowed to a halt. “Namikaze-san.” Naruto greeted politely. “Hello again.”

Minato landed soundlessly in front of him. “Call me Minato. I wanted to ask if you’d like to have lunch with me. I’ll let you choose the place.”

Wary eyes flitted side to side as if searching for an escape. “I don’t know…I really have to train.”

“It’s just lunch,” Minato pressed. “You have to eat at some point right? So why not with me?”

“…Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you keep following me?”

Minato looked put out by the question. “That’s obvious. I want to get to know you better, of course. And I want to be friends with you. You seem like a great guy.”

Naruto studied the other’s face through narrowed eyes. He couldn’t understand why his father was focusing his attention on him. Had he given any reason to be singled out? They only had minutes of contact – fifteen at most! He wondered if Minato was just stringing him along or if he genuinely wanted to be friends. Here was a person who could make friends with anyone he wanted, a person who everyone would love to be friends with, but here he was, attempting the task with the one person who didn’t want his friendship, at least for the time being.

When reading only sincerity, Naruto’s eyes softened. “Alright. What do you think of ramen at Ichiraku?”

Minato happily nodded his agreement and they were off, running over the buildings silently as one blur in the sky.

Before arriving at the ramen stand, Naruto paused to cast an expert henge on himself, changing his appearance to a nondescript jounin in his 40’s. Minato looked at Naruto curiously, asking for an explanation with an arched eyebrow and slight tilt of his head.

“I’m keeping my return hidden for now.” Naruto explained. “No one aside from you, the old man, and the director of ANBU Headquarters knows who I am and that I’m back. I haven’t even reported to the Commander of Hunter forces yet.”

As they claimed corner seats, Minato wondered aloud, “Why do you call Sandaime-sama ‘old man’? I’m surprised you can get away with it. He usually looks down on disrespect.”

Naruto shrugged. “I’ve always called him that.” Then he snickered. “I was pretty rude when I was a kid – had no sense of respect at all – and after a few months, the name just stuck.”

Minato was ecstatic. The tight-lipped Hunter-nin was finally opening up to him and the concept of friendship didn’t seem so impossible anymore.

As they waited for their orders, Minato asked casually, “I’m curious. What were you doing for one week in the Forest of Death?”

“Training.”

Minato huffed at the one-word answers that Naruto seemed to be fond of. “Would you mind telling me more?”

Naruto chuckled at the ANBU Captain’s frustration. “I was in Training Ground Forty-four doing basic chakra exercises for the first two days. My coils were shot, so I had to start from scratch.” Naruto grimaced. “Like tree walking, water walking, containing chakra to specific body parts while doing physical training… On the third and fourth days I worked on ninjutsu. It took me a while to stop accidentally obliterating the trees. The next two days were spent playing with tenketsu points of attacking animals, and the last day was spent channeling chakra into physical forms.”

“Wow, quite intense. All that in one week?”

Naruto shrugged again, digging enthusiastically into his miso ramen. Pausing between bites, he stated firmly, “I believe hard work trumps innate genius.”

Minato nodded in agreement, chewing thoughtfully on his own noodles. He himself had been labeled a genius, but what good would a quick mind have done for him if he merely sat on his ass and twiddled his thumbs at scrolls? “Wait, if you were working on basic chakra control for the first two days, why couldn’t I sense you?”

Naruto grinned in triumph and ordered another bowl. “What did I say back at the office?”

“Apes. Nin-apes. Chakra.”

“Correct, young grasshopper.” Naruto answered cheekily. “I stayed all week with nin-apes so their naturally thick chakra covered my own. Nin-apes have chakra coils like humans do but can’t control them at all. They gave me protection as long as I proved I was friendly.” Over more ramen, they shared their many trials in the Forest of Death. What was supposed to be an awkward thirty-minute lunch extended two more hours, four more bowls, and two orders of the newly imported sponge cake called Kasutera from the far land of Japan Country.

As they exited the ramen stand, the ANBU Captain posed a question about Naruto’s fighting style.

“ _That_ …is a secret.” Naruto answered mysteriously with a mischievous smirk. “You’ll find out during our fight, but you better be prepared. I’m going to sweep your feet from under you. Like I told Sandaime-Jijii, I’ll do anything for my ramen, especially free ramen.”

Minato acquiesced with a laugh, happy that Naruto was comfortable enough to joke around. “Alright, fine. I won’t ask.”

Naruto frowned as his dratted conscience kicked in. He recalled that he already knew several of Minato’s moves and felt uncomfortable with the unfair advantage. “Actually, I’ll tell you one thing. I’m a master of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.”

“Solid clones?” Minato’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the seemingly straightforward technique. “Well, I can’t wait to see what you can do with them. I’ll tell you something of myself. I–”

Naruto waved his hand to cut him off. “Don’t. I’ve heard the impressive rumors about ANBU Captain Namikaze Minato. I just want to make it a fair fight.” Minato smiled, impressed by Naruto’s sportsmanship.

They strolled around a corner, walking aimlessly, when Naruto saw a child – a child who could only be identified as Iruka-sensei. The child no older than six or seven years was walking towards them, holding hands with both his mother and father, chatting happily about nothing and everything. The proud father suddenly swept the boy up into his arms, and the laughing mother handed the giggling boy a new set of child-safe kunai.

Naruto couldn’t stop himself from faltering. He made a barely noticeable misstep before steeling his mind to regain control over his body and continue walking nonchalantly as if nothing had happened. But Minato had noticed. He noticed the slight tensing of Naruto’s shoulders, how his breath had hitched, and how the henge had rippled for a moment. There was no denying that something was wrong, and it happened when Naruto saw the happy family of three. Minato was sure this was directly related to the loss Naruto had unintentionally let slip in the laundry room.

Abruptly, Naruto’s skittish awkwardness returned but this time it was accompanied by thick tension in the air. To anyone else, he looked like any laidback, between-missions shinobi soldier strolling down the street with their habitual alertness, but Minato could feel the subtle turmoil escaping Naruto’s chakra control and the clench of his jaw.

“Namikaze-san…there are two days left to the assessment. I should…get back to training to make sure our fight is worth your while.”

Naruto shunshin-ed to the Forest of Death to scream his heart out for the loss of his own family.

_____________________

Two days crawled by for Minato but passed too quickly in Naruto’s opinion.

Following the incident with the child-Iruka, Naruto’s chakra control had slipped for hours. He could physically feel his own chakra ‘howling’, and this time, even the generally lenient nin-apes refused him entrance to their territory. He supposed it didn’t matter anymore since Minato already knew where he was, so instead he shredded trees and giant, human-eating spiders with angry chakra whips and cried silently in a tight huddle at night.

When the two blonds met up at ANBU Training Ground 4 two days later, Minato mentioned nothing about the volatile chakra he sensed faintly throughout the past two days. He merely greeted Naruto warmly and received a tiny smile in return.

Naruto examined the terrain around him as he tactfully replaced his Hunter-nin vest and arm guards with ANBU issue. There were boulders to one side, a small pond lay on the other, and the rough ground was hard and uneven. He could work with this, Naruto thought as excitement of a battling his someday-legendary father grew.

The Sandaime arrived at the clearing followed by two men and a woman. Naruto recognized the features of one man to be a Yamanaka and guessed he would be evaluating the condition of his tattered heart and fractured mind which had been carefully glued back together by the strongest of his and Kurama’s will. The others were introduced as examiners for the physical, medical, and written tests and all examiners would act as witnesses throughout the entire assessment.

‘Kyuu, what do you think?’

_‘As long as nothing triggers memories of the past, you will be fine.’_

Naruto began warm-up stretches. ‘How do you think I’ll fare against my father?’

_‘I only know your father as he was at age twenty-five. If you fought the older Namikaze Minato, you would last perhaps fifteen minutes. However, I sense that you can evenly match the current version. Use your insane luck, creativity, and stamina to your advantage. Unpredictability is most effective against one as disciplined as he.’_

‘What if something flips a trigger and I lose control? Should I pull out or endure?’

_‘If it is a minor loss of control, I will help you reground yourself. If it is something more, I will warn you to pull out. If it is extreme, I will pull you out myself. In your case, loss of mental and emotional control is a danger to you and everyone in the vicinity.’_

Naruto sent the fox a mental nod of gratitude.

“Shall we get started?” Sarutobi laid out the rules. “You have a time limit of two hours. The fight, limited to this training ground, will end once either is unable to fight or unconscious. As this is an evaluation of skill and reasoning during combat, do not aim to kill.”

“And the winner is rewarded five free meals,” the Hokage added as an afterthought.

“Combat Assessment, Uzuhara Naruto vs. Namikaze Minato. Begin!”

Neither fighter moved. They stood silently, sizing each other with intense, critical eyes. Uncharacteristically, the typically patient Minato was the first to burst into action.

He threw a punch, which Naruto fluidly brushed aside and returned with a jab. Minato twisted sideways to shift around the attack but felt something tug at his feet.

A moment later, he was airborne.

Minato yelped in surprise before flipping over and catching himself.

“Hah! I told you I’d sweep your feet from under you!” Naruto was bent over laughing from where he leaned against a boulder.

“How…?” Minato stared, flabbergasted.

“At the very beginning, you didn’t think I was just standing there enjoying the view, did you?” Naruto teased, wagging his eyebrows.

A light shade of pink dusted Minato’s cheeks as he registered the insinuation.

“What’s that important ninja rule? ‘Look underneath the underneath’,” the Hunter-nin explained mirthfully. “I just took it a bit more literally than most.”

“I don’t understand.” Minato frowned and looked to the four audience members. They didn’t seem to have any clue as to what happened either. It had looked like Minato suddenly slipped as one does on ice. “You didn’t pass through my guard.”

“Fighters are often most _off guard_ at the very beginning since they’re so focused on their opponent.” Naruto explained lazily. “I was lucky that you made it even easier for me. Think about what you know of me and my training.”

“You have large chakra stores and incredible chakra control.”

“That’s right. And I told you I spent an entire day channeling chakra into physical forms…”

Minato gaped. “You sent chakra underground! But I’ve never heard of anyone pulling off something so precise. Maybe Iwa-nin but…”

“I can only do it standing still. The hardest part is finding you with chakra so I can connect with you. I was extending chakra feelers underground, waiting for you to step on one of them. Then I just wrapped it around your feet and yanked. Hard!” Naruto made an exaggerated jerking motion with his arm.

“Ingenious!” Sarutobi murmured under his breath.

“Ok, enough wasting time. There’s ramen on the line here.” This time, Naruto charged and engaged Minato in a full-on taijutsu spar. While Minato utilized the most flawless display of the Flowing Fist style he had ever seen, Naruto’s taijutsu looked like a strange mix of Long Fist and an unknown style which left viewers wanting for more. The fluid strikes were so aggressive that they kept Minato on the defensive. But every now and then Naruto would make a slicing motion that seemed to sweep almost unnoticeably longer than necessary. After watching it happen several more times, Minato reevaluated. It wasn’t a mistake, and it certainly didn’t make the impact any less deadly. There just seemed to be more to them. The hit intentionally extended past the target point, but he couldn’t see why Naruto would incorporate unnecessary movement into his form.

He leapt away from his opponent and raised a hand to signal a pause. “Uzuhara-san, I have a question for you.” Naruto cocked his head to the side. “Do you use a short-range weapon?”

The Hunter-nin looked at him in surprise. “I use a wakizashi which is part of my daishou, but I lost it in the last mission.”

Minato nodded. “You sometimes use sweeping motions which fit into your form but extend a little farther than optimal. I’m guessing you often incorporate short-sword kenjutsu into your fights. Those motions would be even more deadly if you held a weapon.”

“Yeah, I haven’t had time to replace it. You’re right, I do feel dissatisfied with my attacks. I guess my body and mind are still a bit jumbled if I’m affected by muscle memory.”

“Wait a moment.” Minato dug into the pack to pull out a containment scroll from which he unsealed a short sword. “Here, use this. Since this is an evaluation, we want to see your best form.”

Naruto studied the beautifully forged sword in his hands and smiled softly. “Thanks.”

They started again, blurring in and out so quickly that the bystanders, who were elite shinobi themselves, had difficulty discerning their positions. Naruto’s taijutsu now felt complete and was certainly more deadly. With sword in hand, the form was seamless between its flow and unpredictability. He eliminated the wide transitions between a taijutsu attack and a swipe of the blade, often aiming for two hits in one attack.

Minato grimaced at his own performance; he hadn’t been this pressed in a very long time, especially against a younger fighter. Most of his attacks were countered by Naruto’s offensive moves. And that sword! Kami, he already hated that sword. It always appeared at the worst times in the worst places in the most unpredictable manner. Minato may be more skilled, but Naruto was aggressive and wild, sometimes throwing the ANBU Captain off balance and forcing an opening.

It was time to up his game.

_Kawarimi, Katon: Endan (Flame Bullet)!_

Minato performed two jutsu in quick succession, first switching with a rock at the other end of the clearing, then shooting compressed blasts of fire.

Naruto dodged and bared his canines in an eager, feral grin. “So we’re finally adding ninjutsu.”

_Fuuton: Shinkougyoku (Vacuum Sphere)!_

Forming one-handed seals, the Hunter-nin blew out wind chakra at and around Minato, trapping him with a barrage of bullet-like wind. By instinct, he was able to twist around almost all, but one bullet pierced his shoulder and another scratched the fabric over his thigh.

_Kanashibari no Jutsu (Temporary Paralysis Technique)!_

Unable to dodge in time, Naruto’s body suddenly froze as if restrained by taut ropes, arms glued to his sides and legs refusing to move no matter how hard he struggled. He cursed loudly as Minato charged at him with a chakra-reinforced kunai. Naruto flicked his fingers, the only appendages retaining mobility, in Minato’s direction and materialized chakra whips perfected over the last week of training to trap the ANBU Captain in the same matter he himself was. Once the man was contained, he silently formed five shadow clones to surround both of them and discreetly switched places with one. Basic jutsu were the simplest but most versatile tools in battle. He and the four unrestrained clones leapt at Minato, ready to deal out a thorough beating.

_Kaze no Yaiba (Blade of Wind)!_

Minato snapped his wrist upward to slice at the space in front of him to expel a compressed gust of cutting wind. Immediately, the chakra whips dissipated and three clones dispelled. A fourth clone, instead of dispelling, grunted in pain as the wind sliced deeply into his stomach. The real Naruto!

In one smooth motion, Minato unsheathed his own katana from his back. The attacking sword was blocked by the fifth and final clone’s kunai, while the real Naruto leapt back from Minato. As soon as the clone dispelled, Naruto called forth another wave of shadow clones.

“I’ll show you what my bunshin can do!”

A mass of Naruto clones wearing identical grins covered the clearing. There must have been at least two hundred and they all burst into action. Minato growled the chaos around him. There was no way to use Hiraishin in this mess without smacking face first into one – or ten – clones. He needed to dispel them in masses, _now_ , before they all jumped him with weapons and jutsu.

_Fuuton: Shinkuu Renpa (Vacuum Serial Waves)!_

Sweeping his head from left to right while exhaling thick, powerful blasts of wind, Minato demolished all clones in his way. Even as he took a bone-shattering elbow to his ribs, he continued the wind attack for another sweep. Satisfied that only a quarter of the clones remained, Minato shunshin-ed to the safety of a cleared area of the training ground to prepare his next move.

But as soon as he touched down, the ground under his feet exploded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Naruto’s a bit temperamental right now, but his life’s just gone through a complete upheaval so let’s give him a bit more time to pull himself together.
> 
> All italicized jutsu are not spoken unless they are enclosed in quotations.
> 
> Next chapter: Naruto’s shadow clones and his new, chaotic life.


	4. Psyche

**Chapter 4: Psyche**

_Minato shunshin-ed to the safety of a cleared area of the training ground to prepare his next move._

_But as soon as he touched down, the ground under his feet exploded._

Minato was blasted upward with rocks and debris, only avoiding the full explosive impact because he had been able to ride the momentum of the tail end of his shunshin. He landed gracelessly several feet away only for the ground to explode again. And again. And again, each time he landed. What had Naruto done? Minato’s mind flashed through the events of the past few minutes.

The bunshin!

In the chaos of Naruto’s two hundred clones, the Hunter-nin had set up explosives throughout the training ground. Wait no, only the mass of clones could have set up this many traps in such a short time. He wasn’t sure how though, since cloned explosive tags dispelled when the clone dispelled. Naruto would have had to carry an impossible number of tags and flung them over the entire training ground in moments without alerting him. Also impossible.

Luck was finally on Minato’s side as he landed safely on the next patch of dirt. He studied the ground around him to look for hints on Naruto’s trick. _Are those bugs on all the rocks?_ Minato gingerly lifted one around the size of a coin to examine. Symbols! The black dots weren’t bugs, they were seals activated by the touch of chakra!

_Doton: Dosekiryuu (Mudslide)!_

Minato punched the ground, causing the hard earth around him to rise in a wave flying outward. The entire field lit up in fire and smoke as a hundred explosive seals detonated simultaneously, causing the earth to quake violently and a gigantic dust cloud to cast a wide shadow over the clearing. The surrounding trees strained as the force of the explosion burst outwards. As dust settled, Minato glimpsed Naruto’s form lying face down on the ground. He stepped cautiously toward the lifeless body but reared back when another group of clones materialized around the ANBU Captain, lining up in a circle before sinking into the mud.

Minato was about to send a shockwave through the loose earth to dispel the clones underground, when the ground lit up in a circle around him. He suddenly collapsed as if weighed down by an invisible force. The clones resurfaced beyond the circle, which was now made up of black squiggles.

“Didn’t you know?” Naruto taunted as he sat up gingerly from where he had fallen, the right side of his face and body suffered from serious burns and his leg looking mangled. Minato was about to question his well-being when Naruto exclaimed, “I’m a Seal Master and a master of deception!” He suddenly leapt fluidly into a beautiful flip and stuck his tongue out before dispelling with a puff of cloud. A clone? The injuries, even the blood, looked so real!

“Seal Mas…” Even as he was flattened under the heavy pressure, Minato’s expression transformed into a playful smirk. “Well, that makes this fight even more exciting,” he said while compressing chakra on the tip of his index finger, “because I’m also a Seal Master!” In his crouched position, he rapidly carved symbols onto the ground around him and pushed chakra into his makeshift seal, causing black lines to stretch outward and cancel out Naruto’s Gravity Seal which the shadow clones had drawn from underground.

Minato bit his thumb and drew another seal.

_Shit!_ Naruto cursed as he recognized the new squiggles speeding towards the clones around the circle. They all tried to escape with identical jumps backwards, but before their feet fully lifted off, the lines caught each of them and spread up their bodies. All of the Narutos dispelled except one – the real Naruto who had again hidden perfectly among his clones. The seal Minato drew was a simpler version of the Chakra Transfer Seal, and for the next three minutes, every bit of chakra he used would be sourced from Naruto.

The Hunter-nin barely had enough time to appreciate Minato’s seal expertise before he felt a powerful suction in his chakra coils as the taller blond formed hand seals to activate a summon.

_“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”_

With a gigantic puff, Gamabunta materialized in the clearing. Minato gaped, shocked that he had been able to pull enough chakra from Naruto to summon the Chief.

“Kid, what do you want?” The towering toad asked grumpily.

“I…I was going to summon Gamachuu with Lower Chakra Transfer but somehow Naruto had enough chakra to summon you…” Minato stared intently at the surprised Hunter-nin. He felt the pulsating power and fever of Naruto’s blue chakra now running through his body, making him quiver from its passion and melt from its warmth. There was an underlying heavy red chakra which seemed to act as reinforcement for the blue. Whenever the wild blue spilled out of the current of the coils, the red would reach out to nudge it back onto its proper path.

Both were so _warm_. It felt like Minato’s body was on an intense high, the pleasant heat clouding his mind.

So this was the essence of Uzuhara Naruto.

“Who’s Naruto?” Gamabunta swept his eyes over the training ground before catching sight of a figure tensed to attack. “You’re it?” The chief toad asked, unimpressed. “Hmm…boy, have we met before?” His eyes narrowed. “You feel familiar.”

Naruto sucked in a sharp breath. “Familiar? What do you mean by familiar?”

“Like I should know your chakra.” Gamabunta bent down to peer closely at the boy. “Like I should know you.”

Naruto’s jaw dropped. Looking at the toad almost hungrily, he leapt onto the enormous head and whispered something only heard by the two of them. Suddenly, the chief toad released a deafening laugh, almost dislodging the Hunter-nin. “Kid! I’m impressed by your skill and stupidity!” His gravely voice boomed mirthfully. The ground shook from the force of his enormous hand slamming down onto the ground, forming deep indentations. “Hey, don’t glare at me like that. Bring sake and snacks next time and we’ll talk.” He shifted his attention at Minato. “Sorry Minato, I won’t fight him, but I’ll send over Gamachuu. Good luck, you’ll need it to beat this brat.” Gamabunta puffed away only to be replaced by a human-sized toad brandishing a sword.

The ANBU Captain stood frozen, baffled and overwhelmed, unsure of what had just happened. Who exactly was Uzuhara Naruto?

“Oi Minato. Minato! What’s wrong with you? Pay attention. Ya’ want me to fight the little kid over there?”

Minato nodded dumbly.

“Alright! Get ready kid, Chief might like ya’ but I’m not so nice.” He charged at Naruto who was still grinning ear to ear. Minato’s seal had expired and his skin was once again spotless.

‘Kyuu, am I still under your contract?’

_‘Of course, kit. Shiro has been itching to play. Let him out for a bit.’_

Naruto jumped back from Gamachuu and slammed his hand on the ground.

_“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”_

Another puff sounded through the clearing. When the cloud wisped away, they saw a beautiful white fox preening his coat. “Naru-chan, finally! I thought you would never call for me,” the lean fox, slightly taller than an average human, nuzzled Naruto’s face lovingly. “Would you like for me to toy with Warty stomping towards us?”

“Yup, Shiro, that would be really helpful. I’ll treat you to sashimi later – the fresh, expedited ones from Seaport Village – with extra orders of white tuna.” Naruto replied cheerfully.

The fox suddenly shapeshifted into a tall, elegant man with long white hair, dressed in a loose shimmering-white yukata. “Anything for you, Naru.” He dropped into a languid fighting stance and gave Gamachuu a foxy smile. “Fox Claw Style,” Shiro announced softly and slashed the incoming toad with sharpened nails. Gamachuu retaliated with his sword in powerful strokes.

As the toad and fox fought, Naruto turned his attention to Minato whose mind had finally returned to the present and was speeding through hand seals next to the pond: Monkey, Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Dragon.

_Suiton: Ja no Kuchi (Mouth of the Serpent)!_

A huge column of water rose from the pond and launched at Naruto, opening its gaping jaw to swallow the Hunter-nin. He dodged out of the way but the torrent followed and struck his side, slamming him into a boulder on the other end of the training ground. His right arm snapped violently, now bent at an unnatural angle and bone piercing the skin. Coughing up blood, he created a clone to support his nearly useless arm and painfully, carefully, forcefully formed seals.

“Perfect time for this jutsu.” Boar, Ram, Snake…Horse……Dragon…… Naruto grit his teeth in pain. Gathering his concentration, he ground out:

_“Raiton: Jibashi (Electromagnetic Murder)!”_

A wave of electricity followed the path of water the serpent had created back to Minato, who was engulfed in the surge of lightning and screamed. Naruto cut off the attack to shunshin across the clearing, drawing his katana with his left to aim for Minato’s shaking body. As he was about to exact the mock slash to the neck, Minato extended a compressed chakra blade formed from the fingertips of his trembling left hand to point straight at Naruto’s heart.

They both froze, millimeters from piercing each other.

Distant sounds of clapping reached their ears, snapping them out of the adrenaline-induced buzz.

“That was a spectacular fight, but it seems you have reached an impasse.”

The medic-nin rushed over to the two men to heal their severe injuries as they collapsed side by side on the ground.

“Bu…but! What about my ramen?” Naruto panted frantically from behind the man jerking at his crushed arm. A marvelous idea formed in his mind. “Hey, Sandaime-Jijii! I’ll make a deal with you. If I beat you in one jutsu, will you treat me? Please? If I can do it in one hit?”

Sarutobi laughed. “For your exemplary performance, I had already planned to reward you both. But you have piqued my interest. You seem confident in your ability to defeat me, and you say with merely one jutsu.”

Naruto grinned and extracted himself from the medic. “I have an ace up my sleeve, and I’m sure it won’t fail to take you – and everyone else – down.”

“Is that so, Naruto?” Sarutobi chuckled, obviously not taking him seriously. “Go ahead and try.”

Naruto’s face twisted into a wicked smirk.

_“Oiroke no Jutsu!”_

In place of Naruto appeared a naked, busty woman who leaned her chest forward to blow a sultry kiss at the Hokage. The delicate hand tracing down her side followed by a sexy moan was the last straw. Blood gushed from Sarutobi’s and the two male examiners’ noses and all three dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

He gave Minato a puzzled look. _Why wasn’t he affected?_

The last standing examiner, the kunoichi, began scolding the Hunter-nin with a scandalized expression. Naruto scowled at the lecture, then smirked again.

_“Oiroke no Jutsu: Sexy Man!”_

She never stood a chance against the gorgeous, very naked man with smoldering, lustful eyes prowling toward her like a predator toying with prey. She followed the men into unconsciousness, blood also spraying from her nose.

Naruto cancelled his jutsu and stared disbelievingly at Minato who looked amused and unruffled. “Hey Uzuhara-san, who’s going to heal my injuries now?”

_…What the hell? Is my father asexual?_

 ___________________________

When the three examiners and the Hokage regained consciousness, they woke to a peculiar scene of two humans and a fox-man.

Shiro, still in his human form, was sitting against a boulder with his master wrapped tightly within the safety of his strong arms. Shiro was glaring at Minato, who was chuckling at Naruto, who was pouting at Minato. Obviously, something had happened while they were out cold.

“Eh hem,” Sarutobi cleared his throat to interrupt the three way staring contest. “Well, Naruto, that attack was very…effective,” he commented with a red face. “I believe we should move forward to the physical and medical evaluations.”

In the ANBU Headquarters’ medical facility, the medic-nin nudged and prodded while Naruto fidgeted on the stool. He had been ordered to strip down to his underwear, exposing his wiry form for everyone to see. Strangely, he felt most uncomfortable in front of Minato, which was puzzling since he remembered both Kiba and Konohamaru telling him that they used to bathe with their fathers. However, Naruto had flushed and spun his back to them as he was subjected to more prodding.

“Well, Uzuhara-san, you seem to be in perfect health. Your rate of healing is faster than anything I’ve ever seen and somehow your body resists scarring. However, I need to question you on your one and only scar, located on your chest. What caused this injury and how long ago did you acquire it?”

Naruto’s eyes hardened and stared straight ahead. He clenched his jaw against the memories, both good and bad, resurfacing and almost throwing him back into emotional turmoil. This was _not_ the time to lose control! Having an audience was bad enough, but these people were especially dangerous. Yamanaka Inokazu wouldn’t even have to enter his mind to see that he was screwed up, and Minato would probably mother him to death if he showed any weaknesses.

‘Kyuu, I need your help.’ Naruto tried to ward off the anguish of never seeing Sasuke again.

_‘I will take over until you compose yourself.’_ Kurama reached a tail between two columns of his ‘cage’ and touched the doorway out of Naruto’s mind. Naruto’s grieving consciousness gratefully sank behind the columns as Kyuubi’s surfaced. They took advantage from the discovery from years before that Kyuubi could guide Naruto’s body as long as he had permission, but Naruto could take back control at any time. It was useful in times such as this when Naruto was close to breaking down.

“It’s from five years ago. I really don’t want to talk about it,” the fox spoke through Naruto’s lips, imitating his kit’s mannerisms and speech perfectly, “But I promise I’m not suffering any physical complications.”

Minato frowned at the answer. He stamped down the urge to whirl Naruto around and take a close look at what they were talking about. A scar over the chest of a body which heals too quickly to scar...an injury which almost killed. The frown deepened as he tried not to imagine Naruto’s dying form with a gaping chest wound. The thought made him almost possessively livid, irrationally so since they were still mere acquaintances. But like he had stated before, he had the right to worry, especially now that he was sure he wanted this enigmatic man to be a part of his life.

“It’s really fine,” Kurama insisted. “Can we move on now? I want my clothes back…” He shifted uncomfortably at the stares from his audience, which he could practically feel burning into his back. “Umm…please?” He asked in annoyance.

With the clothes back on, the group headed to the written exam.

‘Thanks Kyuu, I think I’m alright now.’

_‘Be safe, kit.’_ The Kyuubi gently relinquished his control.

Naruto was handed a large packet of paper, filled with questions on theory, strategy, and all ninja arts.

‘Uhhh, actually, Kyuu, I’m feeling _really, really_ sick again. Could you take over?’

The demon fox chuckled. _‘No, I refuse to help you with this. I dislike paper tests as much as you do.’_

‘Party-pooper,’ Naruto grumbled.

“You have four hours to complete this exam,” the proctor explained. “Your time starts, now.”

The test was grueling, with question after question on everything in a shinobi’s life. An hour into the exam, Naruto looked up to see Minato playing poker with Yamanaka and the medic; the Hokage was nowhere to be found. Minato looked up cheerfully and gave a little wave to which Naruto responded with a withering glare.

When the examiner announced thirty minutes remaining, Naruto almost wept with joy. It was almost over; thirty minutes until he could bash Minato’s head and Katon his body for eating ramen take-out in the room an hour ago, the sadistic bastard.

The last minutes crawled by.

20 minutes.

10 minutes.

3 minutes.

15 seconds….

“Please put down your pencil. This marks the end of your written examination,” the kunoichi announced. “Congrats, kid. You made it.”

“Yes! I survived! _Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Great Fireball Technique)!_ ”

A massive orb of flame shot towards Minato who only barely dodged the angry attack. It smashed into the wall behind him and blew a huge hole through the wood. Everyone in ANBU Headquarters felt the third quake of the day. _Must be a Shinobi Assessment_ , they all thought simultaneously.

“Hey, hey. That wasn’t very nice.” Minato said, still grinning.

Naruto glowered and formed seals for another Katon jutsu.

“Is that any way to thank the kind person who brought you three bowls of Ichiraku’s ramen?”

The smaller blond stopped. “Ramen?”

“Yup, ramen, but if you don’t want it, I’m sure I can find someone here who’d be happy to ea–.”

“No! Namikaze-sama! Please let me have the ramen.”

“You said you’d do anything for your ramen, right?”

Naruto eyed Minato warily. “…I did…”

“Great! If I give you these, you’ll promise fulfill one of my requests, no matter what.” Minato flaunted the ramen in front of Naruto.

The Hunter-nin’s eyes followed the take-out box, distractedly weighing the pros and cons. “Okay, deal.”

The ANBU Captain almost let out a triumphant ‘Yes!’ as he handed over the box. “I’ll let you know what I want later.”

Naruto nodded absently, his mind numb from the tortu…exam and only managed to slurp his noodles at half his usual speed. Ahhhhh, it was heaven and it tasted so heavenly after braving four hours of hell.

As Naruto patted his stomach happily, the Yamanaka announced the mental evaluation. The demon vessel had prepared thoroughly for this examination. The night before, he and Kyuubi had reinforced his mind, disassembling and patching together memories so nothing would expose his real identity and past. He couldn’t change much of his psyche, but by curbing the impact of his excruciating memories, the mind walker would find no evidence to back suspicions on the true extent of damage. He needed to look stable if he wanted to remain on the active roster.

“Uzuhara Naruto. My name is Yamanaka Inokazu, and my role is to examine whether your mind is fit for mission duty. I will enter your mind for the evaluation. Your mind does not lie.”

Naruto knew this fact very well, and it was what made the test so risky. In response to any questions asked, his mindscape would automatically transform to express his true feelings. He and Kurama had tried to control the reactions through determination and will, but they were barely successful. If anything disrupted his concentration, he would only have one feeble protection left: the false memories they had put together from half truths, which couldn’t always be glued together seamlessly.

Then there was the ‘large’ problem of a giant red fox…

Fortunately, he had experience with mindwalkers from his time – Yamanaka Inoichi and Ino – so he knew what to expect.

Without warning, Inokazu entered Naruto’s mind. He appeared in a detailed derelict hall ( _evidence of more personality than most minds but also neglect_ ) leading to a charming door adorned with gold and blue ( _perhaps a representation of his hair and eyes_ ). He tried to turn the handle only to find it locked ( _something to hide_ ).

“Yamanaka-jijii, it’s not nice to enter without knocking, ya’ know,” a childlike voice beside him piped up. Inokazu jumped and turned to the speaker, a little put out by being called an old man. He looked upon a tiny Naruto, around six or seven years old, wearing a wrinkled orange jumpsuit. The mind walker didn’t reply but followed the advice and knocked ( _a warning for the inhabitant_ ). Strange, he’d never had to do that before.

The door reluctantly tugged free from the frame with loud creak ( _a sign of malnutrition and wariness_ ), inviting him into an unlit space. “Have fun Yamanaka-jijii. Can’t follow you in there but heard it’s real nice. I wish my apartment was like that.” The boy pouted longingly as he swept his eyes around the hall. Inokazu wondered what he meant and filed the comment for later consideration.

He stepped through the doorway into the dark unknown, but light suddenly flooded the space. He saw a blue sky and land covered in grass. A clear river and magnificent white columns.

This mind was beautiful.

Dynamic.

His eyes roamed around, absorbing the breathtaking view. Was this even possible for a mind?

“Welcome to my mindscape, Yamanaka-jijii. Like what you see?” A deeper voice spoke beside him. Inokazu jumped again. “Calm down old man, you’ll have a heart attack if you keep shocking yourself.”

_You’re the cause, Naruto…,_ the mind walker grumbled inwardly.

This Naruto appeared to be his present age, grinning mischievously up at him ( _playfulness_ ). “Go on, you aren’t _scared_ are you, old man?” He taunted ( _perhaps a prankster?_ ).

Inokazu harrumphed and walked through the mindscape, in awe at the structure of this mind. No other mind had ever been this elaborate or beautiful. He peered into the clear stream ( _purity of the heart_ ), smiling at its freshness ( _innocence_ ), until he saw the fish. The fish were black, composed of darkness and suffering ( _pain mingling with innocence_ ).

Then he took a closer look at his surroundings. He didn’t notice before ( _Naruto had previously mentioned he was a Master of Deception_ ), but he could now see little flaws scattered throughout. Some leaves on trees were burnt to a crisp. Some patches of grass were not grass but weeds. Among all the species of vibrant flowers, there were black blossoms speckled in between ( _hidden from direct view_ ). Furthermore, the Marigold flower ( _representing pain and grief_ ) and the Cypress ( _representing death, mourning, despair, and sorrow_ ) were completely black. Pitch black ( _beyond_ _extreme_ ).

Next he examined the memories flowing down the waterfall.

He saw happy memories. Ramen at Ichiraku was the most frequent but there were others. Cloud watching, training, traveling, Sealing Arts, the Hokage Tower, Konoha in sunset.

He saw the neutral memories. Sitting in a cramped apartment, frustration at failing to learn a new jutsu, D-rank missions, waiting for someone.

Then he saw the bad memories. They were horrifying memories. Beatings as a child, angry accusations of ‘demon’ and ‘monster’, being shunned and ignored, a hand shoving a spherical attack into his chest ( _so_ that’s _what caused the scar_ ), bloody figures of dead comrades, torture and rape in a dank cave, the overwhelming collision of loss and despair.

There was so much more bad than good ( _pain cuts deeper_ ). Inokazu realized only the bad memories showed other people, though unrecognizable; meaning good memories were foundations upon which happiness was built, while the bad were individual, stabbing, piercing events which created incisions that rarely healed. Represented by the beautiful mindscape with objects of darkness spotting the space but never bleeding out to mix with the good.

But he looked around the mindscape again. It was still miraculously beautiful. Peaceful.

“Uzuhara-san, what do you fear most?” Inokazu asked the boy watching glumly.

The sky bled red and the smell of blood permeated the air. “Losing my precious people.” Naruto answered, eyes shadowed by blond hair. Images of corpses flickered on the landscape, which had become bare ( _empty_ ). “Being alone.”

“What do you consider most important?”

The sky turned grey and cloudy, rain began to pelt down at them in the empty space. “My precious people.” Naruto answered with a face twisted in anguish and pain ( _perhaps betrayal or loss?_ ).

“What happened in your last mission?” Inokazu asked urgently.

The rain stopped and a crisp, fresh breeze circled the two ( _it started well_ ). But then the clouds became thicker and the temperature dropped. Rain, thunder, and lightening ripped the sky before the winds formed a hurricane. Trees toppled, the waterfall crashed violently, and the ground flooded in torrents ( _devastating failure_ ). Slowly, the weather calmed back to drizzling rain from turbulent black clouds, but the damage remained ( _mourning_ ). “I was doing so well, but I messed up. I messed up _really_ badly. And I lost everything. Everything but one. Now I have to rebuild my life and protect the new…but I don’t know if I can do it right.” Naruto sobbed.

“What is the one remaining?”

The flood receded behind the large columns Inokazu only now noticed, and the damage began to knit back together through the warm red haze which wrapped around them. “My eternal companion.” Naruto’s shoulders lost their tension and a tiny smile graced his exhausted face.

“Who is this eternal companion?”

“My dear friend, brother, father, partner, accomplice, protector, and mentor.”

“I thought you said one.” Inokazu furrowed his brow in confusion.

“He _is_ only one,” Naruto insisted.

Inokazu decided to let it go. “How do you deal with stress?

The red haze curled tighter around Naruto like a warm blanket. The damage to the surroundings had been fully restored, and the red mist dissipated as the mindscape returned to its peaceful state ( _so,_ _with help from his ‘eternal companion’_ ).

“What makes you happy?”

Naruto gave a dazzling smile but offered no words.

Inokazu knew he would receive no further answers and nodded. He walked towards the tall white columns.

“You can’t go in here.” A barrier reaching up to the sky, made of hundreds of Narutos blocked his way.

“Why not?”

“This is _my_ room. Don’t you see the ‘No Adults Allowed’ sign?” He said defiantly as a rebellious teen would to his parent. He only now noticed the large red sign with words written in a messy scrawl. “Geez, adults these days. Always snooping around my stuff.” A fuzzy image of Minato taking his Hunter uniform from the laundry room appeared to the side. It wasn’t a memory but a conjured idea of what Minato must have done.

“Your room?” Inokazu asked with an amused smile.

“That’s right. _My_ room.” The Narutos all echoed as one possessive voice.

“Uzuhara-san, I need to examine what lies behind it.”

“But you already saw me.” They all frowned. “You don’t need to see anything else. It’s personal.”

“It’s important that I evaluate all of you.”

“I bet you just want to see my embarrassing moments and show them to Namikaze.” Their frowns turned into glares. “Why should I hand you blackmail material? They’ll all laugh at me forever.”

“No one will do th–”

“Yes they would! Why would you need to see me get turned down by a girl or tripping into mud or masturbating?” One Naruto said indignantly.

Inokazu shifted uncomfortably. “Well…”

Another Naruto replied. “So it’s like that? You want to see me suffer through visual step-by-step demonstrations of the Birds and the Bees? Four times! You really want to know?” Naruto didn’t give the embarrassed man any chance to interject. “I’ll tell you what happened, but you can’t tell Namikaze or the old man. Promise? Good. I fainted the first two times! You wouldn’t believe the detail that pervert went into. Menstrual cycles and birthing! I couldn’t look at girls for weeks without imagining…” Faint images of something red… “I thought I would have to turn gay to get it up!”

From the strained look on the Yamanaka’s queasy face, Naruto knew it would take just one more push. “If you get to see mine, you have to show me yours,” a third Naruto said gravely as a fuzzy image of two naked people began to fizzle in.

The mindwalker sputtered. “No, no. That’s quite alright. I believe we are finished here. Thank you for your cooperation.” He hurried back out of the door and phased out of Naruto’s mind.

The line of Narutos burst out laughing.

_‘Well done, kit. You successfully came out appearing sane and probably scarring the man. He will never be able to give his teenage son The Talk now.’_ Kyuubi materialized behind him.

‘I can’t believe it worked. Isn’t he supposed to be part of the Torture & Interrogation team?’ Only one Naruto remained. ‘I based that whole act off of Kiba’s stories about his mom. Do all kids really put up stupid signs like that?’

_‘I cannot give you an answer. I know less about human children than you.’_

‘I also didn’t know I could change your shape by will.’ He eyed the fox’s large shape with mischief. ‘You should have told me before.’

_‘You know now, but do refrain from using it without my permission. It was ghastly being a mouse.’_ Kyuubi’s mouth drew back in a snarl.

Naruto snorted a laugh. “I get it, I get it. Remember? I’ve Henged into one before.”

Kurama gently brushed Naruto with a tail. _‘It is time to wake. Your humans are waiting.’_

He opened his eyes to three pairs of concerned eyes. “Uhh, hi?”

“Finally awake?” Minato grinned. “Are you alright? Looks like you did a number on Yamanaka-san.”

“Well, now that you have regained consciousness, we shall discuss the findings,” the Hokage announced.

“Wait, what?” Naruto turned confused eyes to Sarutobi. “What do you mean by ‘discuss’.”

“It is the immediate analysis of your mind for the most thorough evaluation of your psyche.”

“But…we never had to do that before!” Naruto exclaimed.

“It is a required part of this assessment since it is your first.” Sarutobi stated with finality. “This is not up for debate.”

“You…this…I…” Naruto’s head dropped to his chest. After several deep breaths, he looked back at them with hardened eyes. “I accept, but only between Yamanaka-san and Sandaime-Jijii.”

“I am sorry, Naruto, but you require at least three witnesses. Minato-kun will join us.”

He blanched. “Why does it have to be him?”

“We wish to keep knowledge of you between as few people as possible, especially results of your mental examination.”

The distraught blond snarled. “Fine! Let’s get started then!”

The three of them began with Inokazu describing the setting. The other two were shocked at his report and the comparison between Naruto’s mindscape and all other minds. They were again shocked at Naruto’s terrible experiences.

The Hunter-nin looked away, unable to stomach their reactions.

Sarutobi worried about the darkness integrated into his neutral mind but was relieved to find that overall, he was stable. When they reached the results of the questioning, Sarutobi’s worries returned even stronger than before, but he understood the background and couldn’t blame Naruto for feeling as such. Insanity was different from mourning, and Naruto was just mourning.

He would be fine.

___________________________

Minato sat against a boulder in ANBU Training Ground 4, staring blankly at the damage he and Naruto done to the field. He had barely spoken since Naruto’s mental evaluation.

He had known the Hunter-nin was traumatized; it was obvious from the first night. But he didn’t expect it to be this bad. To suffer in an effort to save those he cared for. Then to lose them anyway.

Life was cruel.

The entire day had been one shock after another. So much for getting to know the guy; now he had even more questions. Uzuhara Naruto was a never-ending mystery. He popped into his life merely one week ago, disrupting his sleep and turning him into a stalker. He had never before lost this much sleep in between missions. There was too many thoughts cycling around in his head, and today just added more.

Minato wondered where Naruto went. He had disappeared again, looking exhausted and empty. There was a resigned air about him as the kid listened to the mindwalker expose his secrets, like he had given up caring after having them dredged up one too many times.

Minato studied the evidence of their battle. That was where he first got blown up. Over there was where he trapped Naruto and felt the ferocity of his chakra. And that huge indentation was where Gamabunta shook with laughter. _What was up with that?_ He was as clueless now as before.

The ANBU Captain sighed.

Uzuhara Naruto.

Naruto.

He sighed again. Thinking was doing him no good. He wanted to help. He’d wanted to help since the first moment he felt the grieving chakra. But here he was, thinking and doing nothing. What had Naruto said?

_“I believe hard work trumps innate genius.”_

Naruto was right. He needed to act if he wanted to get anything done. Minato stood up tall, filled with renewed determination. He gathered what he knew about the elusive Hunter-nin and headed off to the Forest of Death.

___________________________

Minato arrived at a wide clearing. From the scorch marks and freshly bulldozed trees, it looked like a recent renovation. Naruto.

His target was lying in the very center, alone as Yamanaka-san had described him to be. He looked so broken, on his back, arms placed haphazardly, and staring expressionlessly up at nothing. Was this really the man who had matched him blow for blow? That Naruto seemed to have sunk somewhere into his mind while leaving this soul-weary boy in his place.

“Namikaze.” Naruto made no attempt at politeness. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to see if you’re alright.” Minato approached carefully. He didn’t want the blond to bolt like he had done before. If Naruto escaped now, there would be no way to find him again. His chakra control was that good.

“I’m fine.” A flat answer from a flat voice. “Go away.”

Minato ignored the request to sit next to him. After several minutes of silence, he imitated Naruto to lie on his back, facing up at what Naruto was looking at.

“What do you see?” Minato whispered.

“I don’t know.” An even quieter response. “Am I supposed to see something?”

“I guess I don’t know either.”

Silence blanketed them again. It was silence in nature, surrounded by rustling leaves, chirping insects, the hoot of an owl; but it was silence in their bones.

After what seemed like hours, Minato turned his head towards the other. He didn’t comment on what he saw.

Tears more silent than their surroundings trickled from the corner of Naruto’s eye and into his hair.

Minato didn’t move his eyes away from the heartbreaking but ethereal vision before him. He couldn’t describe why, but Naruto looked like someone from beyond this world. Even without learning of his past, something about him hinted that Naruto had seen it all and done it all. Maybe it was the wisdom which occasionally flashed through those fierce eyes. Or perhaps it was the barely-visible wrinkles on his forehead from stress. Maybe it was the way his eyes flickered around him wherever he was, as if expecting to find something suspicious.

Minato moved his hand to brush against Naruto’s, offering silent support and acceptance.

“I should be admitted to a mental asylum.,” Naruto whispered gloomily. “I think there was one near my old apartment.”

Minato didn’t answer, sensing there were more words to come.

“I used to think I was supposed to be alone. Why else would people be angry when they saw me?” Naruto was silent for another few minutes. “But then someone told me I didn’t have to. I think I was nine.”

Minato’s heart clenched.

“And then I met more people that said the same thing. So I started believing them.”

Naruto turned his head to stare hauntingly into Minato’s eyes.

“But I hurt them just by being alive.”

More tears escaped those blue eyes filled with self-loathing and regret.

“Then the hell ended and those of us who survived found happiness in each other.”

The corner of Naruto’s lips twitched upwards almost unnoticeably, and the pain in those eyes was replaced by a wistful glaze. He was remembering.

Minato replied with a kind smile of his own.

“Did you know? It takes around a month to forge a quality sword.”

Minato shifted his head to signal a ‘no’, unconcerned by the abrupt change in topic.

“My second teacher taught me how to make one.” His eyes focused again, this time with piercing clarity, into Minato’s. “He walked me through each step.”

Naruto grimaced, but the eyes glistened with more tears and even more regret. “I still have the katana, but I lost my matching wakizashi.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “It was so precious…”

Minato waited patiently and unmoving through the pause.

“He helped me carve the sheath.” He let out a long, shuddering breath. “But now it will be forever empty, and my katana forever alone.”

A sob tore through the clearing. Minato knew Naruto was talking about more than just the pair of swords. He grasped the shaking hand next to his own.

“I want it back, but it’s long gone.” A strangled choke squeezed between two sobs.

Minato turned on his side and spoke for the first time since the heartbroken boy began his story.

“Can you teach me to forge my own sword?”

Naruto’s breath hitched and another wave of tears filled his eyes.

He didn’t answer.

But finally after a long, long silence, Naruto averted his eyes back towards the star-filled sky and gave Minato’s warm hand a tiny squeeze.

Naruto didn’t see the blinding smile, but he felt Minato’s gratitude by an answering squeeze. This time the warmth didn’t loosen its hold.

Another sob slipped out of Naruto’s lips, followed by another, and another until he was unable to hold back the shudders racking his body.

Minato tugged gently on the arm.

Naruto responded immediately by shifting towards the other man and curling up against the warm body, seeking another’s heat to ease his loneliness.

Carefully, Minato wrapped his arms around the sobbing, shuddering body and held him close, tightening his arms whenever an especially violent sob escaped.

Minato didn’t notice before, during their battle, but now with Naruto tucked under his chin, he could clearly feel the strong but narrower frame compared to his own. However, Naruto would never be described as lean or delicate. Instead, Naruto’s wiry body held incredible strength, enough to counter the power from his own body which half a head taller.

No, definitely not delicate, neither in body nor mind.

Eventually, the sobs died down and the trembling faded. Naruto’s gasping calmed into slow, steady breaths. The Hunter-nin’s hands remained clenching Minato’s steel grey ANBU vest, grip tightening each time Minato shifted from discomfort.

Naruto nuzzled into the crook of the man’s neck and mumbled softly, “…thanks, Mi…na…to…”

Joyful wonder swelled from within as Minato smiled serenely into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Er…well, the shadow clones didn’t have much of a showing…sorry Narutos! But very unexpectedly, Gamabunta made a surprise visit and might be staying for a while. I wonder how he’ll fit in, pun intended ;)
> 
> It didn’t turn out as I had planned, but that happens from time to time, or always haha.
> 
> Next chapter: hopefully we’ll start Naruto’s – and Akashiori’s – life for real this time, and maybe some political unrest?


	5. Red and Black

**Chapter 5: Red and Black**

Naruto dreamt of swords and precious faces.

Disjointed images faded in and out.

Kakashi-sensei teaching him to polish a sword with a silver wig.

Tsunade-babaa brandishing Zabuza’s giant Kubikiri Bouchou instead of her jug of sake.

Light filtered into the dream-Hokage’s office from the oddly large window, blinding him, forcing him to shut his eyes. Behind closed lids, he began to feel something scratchy under his arms and something soft under his head.

Wherever he was, it was quiet with one non-hostile in his immediate surroundings. He slowly blinked his eyes open, squinting in the light, confused as to why he was on a bed. He hadn’t slept indoors in over a week, and though it felt wonderful, it was a reason for caution. Moreover, this couldn’t possibly be his room, since his always kept his window curtains closed.

Sitting up, he looked around the room. Naruto recognized it as ANBU quarters, similar to his own except for the personal effects scattered around the space. He followed the chakra signature of the non-hostile and recognized it as Minato’s from somewhere on the floor.

_Oh crap. Minato._

He remembered everything from the night before and flushed in embarrassment. He’d cried like a baby in front of a stranger who was his kind-of-father. You’re supposed to show strength in front of fathers, right? At least that was what he heard according to the Hyuuga clan. Lee was strong, too, in front of his kind-of-father Gai.

But Kurama, his kind-of-father, never required him to be strong in front of him…

Hmm, puzzling.

Naruto studied the other man’s back curiously as he groaned from the floor. Minato slowly stretched his arms above his head and curled his toes. As he relaxed, he turned over to face Naruto and stopped.

They were both frozen in awkward silence with Naruto sitting up halfway and Minato’s arms still halfway above his head.

“Uhh…” Naruto started to say, his flush from earlier deepening. “Thanks for the bed. I’m guessing you brought me back?”

Minato unfroze and mumbled groggily, “You’re welcome.” Then he furrowed his brow as if thinking hard to remember something troubling. “…Naruto, you don’t weigh enough. Are you eating properly?”

“What?” A bemused Naruto wondered if he’d heard correctly, his earlier embarrassment replaced by exasperation.

“Oh, sorry, Uzuhara-san, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Minato sat up smiling apologetically. “I haven’t had my morning shot of milk yet.”

“Shot of milk?” Now he wondered whether the guy was missing a few screws in the head. “Isn’t it usually a stimulant like coffee or tea?”

“Nah, coffee is for the post-lunch food coma. Milk is a healthy jump start to a day.” Minato stood up and stretched again. “That aside, good morning. Help yourself to whatever you need. Then I’m dragging you to breakfast.”

“I should probably go to my room. I haven’t been there since I started training.”

“Oh, of course! Here’s your clean uniform. I’ll get you for breakfast in half an hour. Does that work for you?” He wondered if the older blond had forgotten his humiliating breakdown last night. He had been sure Minato would reprimand him about it.

“Thanks, that sounds great…” Now it was Naruto’s turn to furrow his brow. “Can you tell me where your room is in relation to the main stairs?”

“What for?” Minato tilted his head in sleepy confusion.

Naruto scratched the back of his head, feeling like a toddler lost on his way home. “I need to find my room…”

Minato snorted with laughter. “Uzuhara, we’re neighbors!”

“Neighbors?”

“Yeah, your door is actually about two feet from mine.”

“Neighbors…” Naruto stared at the ANBU Captain incredulously and pondered his luck – in this case, bad luck. _What a coincidence._ “Um, Namikaze-san, I’ll just get going, then. Thankyouforlastnight!” He escaped the room, barely acknowledging Minato’s comment about calling him by his first name and the reminder about breakfast. Oh god, his door was really just two feet away. Rooms 613 and 614. This just made his life more difficult in more ways than one, as both Uzuhara Naruto and Akashiori. These two identities were supposed to stay separate, but how was he going to maintain that with Minato trying to become his best friend and mother hen from right next door?

Thirty minutes later, Naruto answered the knock on his door apprehensively; Minato smiled lazily down at him, hair still damp from his shower. Naruto was finally in a clean set of uniforms sans his dark vest and anything else identifying him as a Hunter-nin. He barely remembered to pull on a sleeved shirt to cover his Hunter-nin and Flame tattoos since even the most expert henge was never foolproof, especially in a room of elite ninja. He knew very well the long-standing animosity between the two Black Ops organizations, perpetuated by the ANBU’s contempt for Hunter-nins’ ruthless methods. As this was the ANBU Headquarters, he was technically at the very center of enemy territory. Naruto didn’t want to deal with it this morning – or ever, if he had any say.

The two made their way through the maze-like hallways to the cafeteria.

“Hey, Minato!” Someone shouted. “How’ve you been?”

Many heads, some masked and some not, turned towards the ANBU Captain and called out to him cheerfully; it was obvious how well-liked he was by all. Minato waved back enthusiastically before grabbing Naruto’s tense shoulders and steering him to a particularly rowdy table.

“Good morning, my dear animal friends.” Minato gave a lopsided grin. The group exchanged morning greetings and someone, almost habitually, pressed a glass of milk into Minato’s hand to chug. Finally fully awake, Minato dragged forward the poor Hunter-nin who was making a valiant attempt to sneak away from the unrelenting ANBU Captain.

“Everyone, this is Uzuhara Naruto. He’s new here and staying in the room next to mine,” Minato introduced, pushing the reluctant boy further forward. “Be nice to him.”

Naruto looked like a deer caught in headlights as people crowded around to get a closer look. He had rarely been surrounded by such large crowds due to his status as a jinchuuriki. His wariness towards those not part of his group of precious people and his ugly past only increased his discomfort. Naruto was now in uncharted territory within enemy territory. Ugh, he was _screwed_.

“Hah! This kid looks like he’s about to piss himself.” One large man sneered down at the cagey blond. “Rookie, you sure you’re cut out for this?”

“Hey, Boar, I told you to be nice.” Minato admonished, then smirked. “Uzuhara’s been in Black Ops for a year already.”

The group was immediately consumed by furious whispering, everyone throwing disbelieving looks at the boy squirming under their combined calculating glances. “No way… He looks like a fifteen year-old weakling.”

“It’s true. He’s brilliant,” Minato confirmed firmly. “I did his combat assessment yesterday and we tied!”

“…” The group fell silent.

“Were you the one that caused the quakes?” Someone in the back asked.

“Um, yeah,” Naruto answered uncomfortably, his eyes once again sweeping side to side for an escape route. This was too much attention, too intense, too soon.

Minato slung his arm over the shorter blond’s shoulders, offering reassurance and encouragement but frowned slightly in concern when Naruto flinched. “He blew up the entire Training Ground 4. Everyone should take a look. Those explosives were wicked.”

A masked kunoichi to the right let out an excited shout, “I saw it! It was completely destroyed. Demolished! Fried! Flooded! I don’t know how exactly to describe it. That was really you?”

Naruto’s rubbed the back of his head and offered a sheepish smile. “It wasn’t me alone, but I might have gone a bit overboard. But it was against Namikaze-san so it’s justified!”

The group broke into laughter, a ninja even patting his back in congratulations.

“I’ve had to fight him for three assessments, and I’ve never gotten close.”

“Me neither. He’s merciless!”

“I barely matched him once, but I was stuck in the hospital for a week afterwards.”

“You seriously blew him up? I’d pay to see the great Namikaze Minato getting fried.”

Minato’s grin grew at the group’s acceptance of Naruto. “And what’s more, he managed to trip me in the first thirty seconds of the fight!”

The level of noise grew as more people joined the huddle. Minato could feel Naruto’s shoulders relax and loosen, no longer looking around as if everyone was an enemy. He had made the right decision to force interaction, knowing that the Naruto right now would never seek anyone out for companionship.

Then, someone asked one of the questions considered taboo.

“So where’ve you been all this time? You’ve been in Ops for a year right?”

Caught off guard, Naruto breath caught and his face twisted in anguish for barely a moment before smoothing over into a fake smile. His insides churned and bile threatened to rise. With just one question, these people once again became threats. In the friendly environment, he had almost forgotten that this was not his world and that he had lost all of his own Black Ops friends when he got stranded in the past. The anonymity from the masks around him may help him forget, but it was just him in denial.

The ANBU-nin around Naruto, all trained to spot details, fell silent as they saw the flash of pain and change in countenance. All of them knew what it signaled. They’d seen it in their comrades and many had experienced it themselves. The agony of loss of those precious to you.

“I was on a long-term mission,” Naruto answered as casually as possible, knowing that in this emotional wreck, the act wouldn’t convince anyone. Minato tightened the arm still slung over the stiff shoulders to remind Naruto he wasn’t alone and would always find a friend in him.

“Hey, we need to grab some food. We’ll see you all later.” Minato pulled his companion out of the crowd to an empty table in the corner.

“Uzuhara, are you alright?” Minato peered closely at the shadowed face.

“I-I’m fine.” Naruto leaned away.

Minato sighed. “We’ve had this conversation before, in the laundry room if I remember correctly. You don’t have to hide yourself, especially from me.”

Naruto clenched his jaw, something he had been doing far too often lately. “I’m fine,” he growled. He’d had enough. Enough of Minato, enough of the ANBU, enough of this overwhelming trauma accumulated over his entire nightmare of a life. He didn’t need to get involved with people again, no matter how much he craved acknowledgement and love. In the end, he was doomed to lose everything; it wouldn’t hurt as much if he didn’t have much to lose.

Doomed. Fated. Destined.

He was starting to sound like Neji from all those years ago.

No, he was going to act from the shadows, away from needless distractions.

“Uzuhar–“

“Namikaze-san, I just remembered that Hokage-sama requested to speak with me today,” Naruto lied. “I shouldn’t keep him waiting.” He straightened his spine in his chair and nodded to the ANBU Captain, so tense and so _controlled_. “Please enjoy your day.” Without even standing, he vanished silently with barely a wisp of cloud, leaving a dejected Minato staring at the empty space.

 

___________________________

Instead of visiting Sandaime-Jijii, Naruto returned to his empty room to plan his next step as the unseen protector of Konoha. He was unaccustomed to subtle manipulation, but he couldn’t go around beating people up as he had done throughout his shinobi career. If he was to work from the shadows, he couldn’t have a face.

Uzumaki Naruto felt it would be best to create four personas. One was Uzuhara Naruto, the unmasked Hunter-nin forced upon him by the Sandaime. Second was Uzuhara Naruto, Special Jounin of Infiltration & Reconnaissance, his public identity for mobility around the village. Third was the Sandaime Hokage’s Personal Advisor with no outward presence. Fourth was Akashiori, the ruthless masked Hunter-nin to carry out high profile missions for the Personal Advisor.

The two Hunter-nin characters would be easiest to play. Uzuhara and Akashiori were two sides of one coin, day and night. Perhaps he could even eliminate the unmasked Hunter-nin and use the Uzuhara name solely for the Special Jounin persona. That would reduce the number of people he needed to interact with, making it easier to hide his identities and retain his sanity.

The most difficult and delicate position would be the Personal Advisor. He would have to dance around the Council, the Five Hidden Villages, Tobi, the Sannin, Minato, Kushina, and anyone else who would play a major role in Konoha’s success and destruction. There were so many factors to consider and so much risk to manage. To have this responsibility crushing his shoulders was frightening.

_‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.’_ This was a common principle in science.

Except when meddling with time and life, you didn’t know what ‘every action’ entailed, and the reactions were never equal nor opposite.

He was scared.

But he had to begin now. Change had begun the second he landed in this time, and he and the Sandaime needed to seize the untamed strings before they moved beyond their grasp. There were an infinite number of strings to catch and pull.

Naruto knew what made being a leader difficult. Leaders had to set priorities, and many times, the ‘greater good’ clashed with what you yourself wanted. His role as an adviser to the leader automatically made him a leader as well, basically meaning he had to decide who would live and who would die.

He was terrified.

_Stop thinking and do something,_ Naruto scolded himself. Dropping into the chair at his desk, he pulled out blank sheets of paper and began writing in the elegant handwriting that Tsunade-babaa and Iruka-sensei had pounded into him. _“What Hokage writes to the Daimyou in chicken scratch?”_ was what she had yelled before dumping on him a huge pile of her paperwork and proceeded to take a nap.

Naruto listed all that he knew of the next several years, limiting himself to six years, ending at the day Tobi summoned Kyuubi and Uzumaki Naruto was born. That had marked the end of an era which had set in motion the disastrous events of the following eighteen years. If he could eliminate the major catalysts and those responsible, much of the destruction Konoha had suffered could be avoided.

He worked straight through lunch and finished right after dinnertime. It was only a rough draft, but that was enough for now. The stack of sheets now bound by five layers of security seals contained the beginnings of a conspiracy, and Uzumaki Naruto was the one orchestrating it.

Taking the next step, Naruto pushed chakra into his Flame seal to contact the Sandaime and request a secret meeting as Personal Advisor to the Hokage. Seconds later the seal warmed, signaling approval.

It was time.

From this moment on, he was Hokage’s PA first, and everything else was secondary.

 

___________________________

“Hokage-sama, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice.” Akashiori materialized in front of the Sandaime’s desk. “I felt it prudent to commence our preparations for coming times as soon as possible.”

Sarutobi placed his elbows on the desk and set his chin on his clasped hands. With sharp eyes, he took in the deadly ninja positioned in front of him wearing the Hunter-nin uniform and mask. “Akashiori, I have prepared something for you for use as my Personal Advisor. I am in agreement that you should keep your identities separate, especially this one.”

He reached into a hidden compartment to pull out three objects. The first was a folded uniform, design not yet discernible, but he could see it was made from a light fabric of complete black. The second object was an equally black cloak to protect him from prying eyes. The third and final object, presented by a pair of steady hands but accepted by a pair of hands trembling almost unnoticeably, was a mask of black matte porcelain.

After a moment of silence, Sarutobi spoke again. “You will be addressed as the Haikage, Shadow of Ashes of Konohagakure, fitting for one who will operate unknown and unseen behind the Hokage, the Fire Shadow.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.” Akashiori dropped to a low bow before straightening and presenting the Sandaime with an object of his own. “This collection of notes contains the historical events of the next six years. It is currently bound and sealed, only accessible by myself for the sole reason that we have not yet determined our strategy for what is frankly referred to as ‘meddling with time’.”

Sarutobi stared down at the blank cover, rolling ideas back and forth within his mind. When he looked up several minutes later, the man in front of him was no longer Akashiori but the Haikage in full uniform with the mask positioned over his face and the cloak hanging over an arm. His entire body was encased in black, similar to the Black Ops uniforms but with full sleeves and closed toed boots, and Sarutobi knew that underneath the porcelain mask was another cloth mask covering the three scars on each cheek. The Sandaime smiled proudly before holding out the last piece of cloth with which the Haikage covered his bright hair, leaving blue eyes as the only distinguishable features.

“Haikage-kun, now we are ready to begin.”

 

___________________________

Naruto returned to his room late that night, exhausted and hungry from a full day of non-stop work. He had forgotten to eat after the breakfast debacle, instead utilizing all of his angry energy on protecting Konoha. The meeting with the Hokage had been grim as he gave the Sandaime a rundown of the future. He thought back on the first issue he had raised.

_“I am certain you have been informed of the skirmishes along the borders, yes?”_

_Sarutobi nodded. “They have been increasing in frequency over the past several months. I have begun to send teams to investigate, such as Team 21 which discovered you, but the incidents have been minor.”_

_Haikage pursed his lips. “There is never a clear-cut beginning to any war, Hokage-sama.”_

_The Sandaime drew a sharp breath. “War, you say?” At Naruto’s clipped nod, he dropped his face in his hands, lost in recollection and did not move for a long time. The younger man waited patiently as a fellow war veteran, understanding the horrors he must be recalling._

_“I have fought through two Shinobi World Wars, Haikage-kun.” He directed a haunted gaze across the room to nothing in particular. “In the first, I was a participant. In the second I led Konoha to battle as the Sandaime Hokage. A general must be sure and ruthless to lead his army to victory, but with every fallen comrade, I only felt pain mounting in my heart.”_

_“Now you hint at a third, and once more must I send them to their deaths.” His world-weary eyes traced the Haikage’s half-masked face. “I feel as though I have aged a decade in mere minutes.”_

_The man in black said nothing, knowing it would not be the last time the elder would feel as such._

_“How much time do we have?”_

_“Two and a half years at most before it is officially recognized as a war.”_

_Sarutobi straightened his spine, the Will of Fire reigniting with fearsome intensity. “Then we must move swiftly. There is much to be done.”_

The two Kages had unsealed Haikage’s notes. Even after reading the horrifying truths, it was unnecessary to remind each other that not everything could be changed and not everyone could be saved.

_All you can do is protect those who are precious to you, like you’ve always done. This time it is Konoha as one entity._

Some events, like the Third War, were unavoidable. Not only was it almost impossible to separate Konoha from the decline of all Five Great Countries, but the treaties and alliances formed as a result of the war were crucial to Konoha’s future peace. They could only reduce casualties and possibly shorten the duration of the war.

As the meeting concluded, Naruto had raised the request to eliminate the Hunter-nin Uzuhara Naruto persona. He had laid out the benefits and drawbacks, arguing that having too many identities would risk exposure of the entire operation, only to be told that his placement within the ANBU Headquarters had a purpose.

_“You cannot deny that you are emotionally stunted, Naruto,” Sarutobi replied. “As Uzuhara Naruto within ANBU Headquarters, you will have the chance to interact with people of similar experiences and caliber. The Hunter-nin Corps lacks definitive headquarters since they have fewer agents and prefer secrecy even among their ranks. The Hunter-nin lounge and office in the Hokage Tower will not be enough for you. However, I will reconsider after the results of your next Shinobi Assessment.”_

_Naruto could not disagree with the logic._

He groaned in dismay. He was _starving_ , but there was nothing open in the village at this time of the night except for bars. He would have to decide between the cafeteria and the Forest of Death’s rabbits but neither seemed appealing.

With a heavy sigh, he changed into something comfortable and ventured out of his room. He didn’t encounter anyone in the halls, but as he neared the cafeteria he could hear voices and sounds of movement from beyond the entrance. Naruto strolled into the room as inconspicuously as possible, but he had gained too much fame that morning to be ignored by others.

“Uzuhara, right?” A tall man with some sort of canine mask approached. “The rumors say you tied with Namikaze-san in a fight.”

Naruto nodded warily.

“Don’t let it get to your head, kid.” He had the distinct impression that the man was sneering down at him. “Namikaze-san may like you, but you haven’t convinced everyone. You better keep out of our way if you know what’s good for you, _Rookie_.” The man sauntered off, leaving Naruto with the thought that humans just weren’t worth it.

_‘Kit, do not lump him in with all humans.’_

‘But he can be lumped in with ‘most humans’ along with the villagers who hate me.’

_‘There are good humans as well.’_

‘Like who, aside from Sandaime-Jijii and Ichiraku owners?’

_‘You forget that although you have lost your precious people from our proper time, they still exist in this present and will grow into good humans.’_

‘That doesn’t mean humans are worth interacting with.’

_‘What about your future father? There is also the mindwalker, as well as the man from this morning who invited you for a drink.’_

‘I don’t _want_ to deal with my father!’

Kurama did not reply.

“Hey, Uzuhara-san.” Naruto flinched at the touch on his shoulder.

Well, speak of the devil…

Naruto reluctantly turned to face Namikaze Minato standing behind him. “Yes, Namikaze-san?” He did his best to keep the irritation out of his voice.

“I’d like to apologize for this morning. I overstepped my bounds; let me make it up to you, please.” Minato looked truly repentant, evident from the miserable expression and hunched posture.

_Gloomy doesn’t suit him_ , Naruto couldn’t help thinking. This man had been sincere in everything he’d done in the short time they had known each other, and this morning wasn’t even his fault. It was impossible to remain angry. “Forget it, Namikaze-san. It wasn’t your fault, and it really isn’t a big deal. I just blew it out of proportion so there’s nothing to make up for. I’m the one who should apologize.”

A bright smile grew on Minato’s lips as he sighed in relief. “I thought you’d hate me forever…”

Naruto’s own lips quirked into an amused half-smile.

_‘See kit, here is a human who is worth your efforts.’_

He hadn’t felt this calm since he’d arrived. ‘You’re right, Kyuu. I’ve been forgetting the goodness in people. Maybe the old man was right about living here.’

“Well, Namikaze-san. If you insist on making it up to me, could you show me the path to food? I haven’t eaten anything today.”

Minato grabbed Naruto’s shoulders as he had done in the morning and again steered him across the room. “So, you go through here and you’ll find the hot and cold food over there. The cafeteria is always stocked since there isn’t a set schedule for mission departures or returns. There’s always a hungry mouth.” He grinned.

With a nod of thanks, Naruto piled food on his plate, very pleased at the selection. The two sat opposite each other at a table as he devoured his meal.

“Are you going to just sit there and watch me eat?” Naruto asked between bites.

“I’ve been thinking about the request you owe me for the ramen yesterday.” Minato chuckled at the fearful expression forming on the younger blond’s face. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. I just want you to call me by my first name from now on, and without any honorifics.”

“Er…that’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s it. You kept ignoring me when I asked before, so with this you can’t back out.” Minato looked like the cat that got the cream. He was grinning triumphantly, very pleased with himself. “Now, repeat after me. Mi. Na. To.”

Naruto glared at the smug bastard. “…Mi. Na. To.”

“Very good, now string it together. Minato.”

The Hunter-nin now looked like he wanted to set the man on fire with his eyes. “Minato.” He grit out.

“Good boy! Now say it again!”

“Minato, I’m going to gut you.” Naruto growled. “Next, _Minato_ , I’m going to feed you to the Inuzuka dogs. Then, Minato, I’ll take your bones and grind them to dust.”

The ANBU Captain laughed, loud enough for nearby shinobi to look their way in amusement.

‘I take it back. You were wrong, Kyuu. This guy is definitely not worth it.’

Kurama chuckled. _‘You are just being stubborn.’_

After Minato calmed, though a grin remained, he led Naruto out of the cafeteria with a small bounce to his steps. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

Naruto narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Do you play poker?”

“I do…but I don’t like to since I usually lose, even with my incredible luck.” At Minato’s questioning tilt of the head, Naruto elaborated. “I sometimes call out my fox summons for fun, and they always insist on playing poker. And you know how foxes are tricksters, right? No matter how lucky I am in casinos or the lottery, I can’t win against them. I’ve never caught them cheating either – trust me, I’ve checked – but somehow, if I have a flush, they’ll have a straight flush.”

Minato broke out into laughter again. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Friday nights are Poker Nights at Headquarters. You have to join us. There’s a minimum buy-in, but the money and prizes are pretty good and even if you don’t win, it’s worth the good time.”

Naruto hesitated, not sure if he could handle another crowd like this morning.

_‘Kit, at least give it a try.’_ The fox added his own thoughts. _‘You can leave at any time.’_

“…Alright,” he agreed cautiously.

“Great, it’s at eight, after dinner, and runs pretty late. We’ll go straight after we eat.” They arrived at their rooms. “Well, good night. Oh, and let me call you by your first name.” Minato gave a hopeful smile.

Naruto shrugged. “Sure. Good night.”

He entered his room without waiting for Minato’s response, feeling slightly embarrassed at how easily he had given in when just that morning, he had resolved to withdraw from society. _Looks like I’m stuck here for the next eight months; might as well make it pleasant._

As he shut his door, Naruto noticed a scroll sitting in his inbox. _A mission,_ Naruto thought gleefully. He had been itching for something other than training. A quick glance informed him Akashiori would depart at six the next morning to hunt a rogue Uchiha heading towards Kumogakure. The estimated duration was two days, and as by Hunter-nin protocol, he was to retrieve the head and eliminate the body.

The Hunter-nin frowned. He’d just agreed to Poker Night, but with this mission there was no way for him to participate. Naruto sighed tiredly. Although he was excited about this mission, he was also disappointed in missing the event and even more disappointed at having to void the decision he had finally made to mingle with people. It was going to take more effort to gather his courage next time.

Naruto knocked on his neighbor’s door, feeling a little guilty about turning down Minato’s invitation. He had been so sincere and excited…it felt like he was preparing to kick a puppy.

“Hey, sorry to bother you, Namik…Minato.” Naruto said awkwardly as the ANBU Captain answered the door. His father – and new friend – looked the same in casual clothing as in uniform. Whereas most Black Ops agents changed personas behind the uniform and mask like he himself did, Minato exuded the same air of kindness but also the same powerful presence. It was like Minato was his true self both on and off duty, and that was an impressive feat. Many ANBU-nin and Hunter-nin lost their sanity if they didn’t separate their minds.

He gave a small, apologetic smile before lying to the larger blond that the Hokage had requested to meet the next night, and because of that he had to cancel their plans. “I’m really sorry. But I’ll make it up to you. I’ll agree to go to the next thing you want to drag me to as long as I’m free.”

“That’s alright, Naruto. I was about to visit you to apologize myself.” Minato said just as apologetically if not more so. “I just received a mission assignment for tomorrow, so I won’t be able to join either. How about we both take each other to something? But you can’t choose ramen, because for you, ramen seems like a given on any outing. ”

Naruto nodded in relieved agreement, glad that he got out of kicking the puppy. _Lucky,_ he grinned to himself.

 

___________________________

At six next morning, Naruto stood in the Hokage’s office to receive authorization for departure. It was strange since Hunter-nin usually left for missions after checking in at the Hunter Corps office, but that morning he had been instructed to see the Sandaime.

“Akashiori, as this is your first mission, I will brief you myself. Your mission is a routine elimination. The target is Uchiha Satoru, jounin level shinobi,” the Hokage repeated the information already provided. “However, for the same reason that this is your first mission, I will need to assess your performance in the field.”

“You will be accompanied by a fellow shinobi who will evaluate you.” At this, Naruto felt an uneasy sense of foreboding. “I would have assigned this mission to a jounin team, but seeing as you are available, I decided to take this opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

_No way…he wouldn’t…_

“Your partner, Cheetah, has been informed that he is to evaluate a new recruit, only stepping in if necessary.”

_Cheetah. Meaning ANBU…he didn’t…_

A bit of Uzuhara Naruto slipped through from behind the Akashiori mask. “Old man, I just told you yesterday about the risk of exposure! And if you’ve assigned who I think you did, I’m going to burn your desk. When I put in that request to leave ANBU Headquarters, it was mostly because of _him_.”

Kurama howled in laughter.

“I am confident in your ability to keep your identity a secret.” Sarutobi smiled serenely.

_Shit, he did…_

“Consider it an evaluation for your skills in deception and infiltration. In any case, you will need to be evaluated before becoming Tokubetsu Jounin. If you complete this mission with your cover intact, I will place you on stand-by for infiltration missions.”

Naruto growled audibly and sent the snickering Kyuubi a mindscape stormcloud.

“Fine. But when I get back, you’re treating me to ramen on Ichiraku’s Annual Super Meat Day, and I expect you to treat Shiro to the sashimi I promised him!”

“That will not be a problem.” Sarutobi agreed pleasantly as he watched the masked shinobi tie a piece of cloth over his hair. “Your partner is waiting beyond the door. I wish you good hunting, Akashiori.”

With a final death glare from flashing violet eyes, Akashiori stalked angrily out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the timeline of pre-Kyuubi history written out in detail with everyone’s age and stuff. It’s should be mostly accurate, give or take two years. The only thing I’ve intentionally changed is Minato’s real age, making him around 5 yrs younger than in canon. I have to start thinking about the political junk, but I’m terrible at politics (I suck at it like Naruto sucks at genjutsu…).
> 
> I should just let Naruto beat everyone up like before. _Now, that is a fantastic idea :P_
> 
> Next chapter: Mission and maybe/perhaps/possibly Kushina?


	6. Rattled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit difficult to write. I think I’m much better at fight scenes than the emotional stuff and humor. I don’t know how to do transitions and proper emotional development; I only know how to make Naruto suffer psychological trauma…

**Chapter 6: Rattled**

The man running in front of Minato had puzzled him from the very moment they met. The Hunter-nin had stormed out of Hokage-sama’s office, looking as if he wanted to destroy something – anything – with those tightly clenched fists. The ANBU Captain under the Cheetah mask had wisely said nothing to the fuming figure in the dark grey Hunter-nin cloak, opting to give a simple nod in greeting before allowing the man to lead the way. As they approached the gate, he had visibly forced himself to halt and gruffly introduced himself as Akashiori, but then told Minato to not call him as such.

Even more puzzling was that Akashiori didn’t seem like a new recruit.

First of all, Minato realized immediately after the Hunter-nin calmed that he hadn’t felt the man’s chakra at all. Not once did he detect even a leak between the transitions of fury to irritation to resignation to indifference. Even the best of new recruits slipped during times of such anger. Secondly, the way the man moved was that of a seasoned shinobi. Though the cloak hid his body, he could practically feel the control and lack of recoil in his movements from tree to tree. He wouldn’t call it grace, but there was a fluidity which vaguely reminded him of an untamed animal. Thirdly, he was an extremely skilled tracker. Akashiori barely paused to identify new clues to the target’s path. Sometimes he would curiously tip his head back as if to sniff the air from under his mask or tilt his head to the side as if to listen for something inaudible. Once he caught a ‘scent,’ Akashiori would cover miles without stopping until he found it sensible to take another quick sniff. Minato also caught how the man’s sharp violet eyes never stopped flitting around, searching for visual clues to the target’s movements.

These attributes all pointed towards an excellent shinobi with great potential as a Hunter-nin, but the puzzling thing was that Akashiori was _too_ seasoned to be a new recruit. When the speed, stamina, control, and survival expertise were combined, the final product was an exceptional, veteran agent. Perhaps somewhat animalistic, but that only added to his efficiency.

“Cheetah-san, let us take a short break here to eat and rest before resuming the chase. I will not be stopping again until sunset. It is best if we distance ourselves so the food does not taint the trail,” Akashiori told him in a detached voice before heading off to the side.

Minato nodded approvingly. Many trackers forgot that food, no matter how bland and odorless, still left traces which could mix with the trail, possibly sending them off-course.

They said nothing as they ate ration bars. Minato ran through the information he had gathered, which all seemed to contradict the fact that Akashiori was supposed to be green. The Hunter-nin in front of him knew what he was doing as if he had done it a hundred times before.

There was also one comment he had made that piqued Minato’s interest. “Excuse me, why do you not want your name spoken?”

Minato could somehow tell the man was smiling behind his mask, and amusement in the baritone voice confirmed it.

“Old habit of mine. Until my targets are about to die, they knew me by my false name Akamaki, which people mistake my mask for. I correct their knowledge only moments before I exact the final blow. It makes the game more interesting, does it not?”

The ANBU Captain was both intrigued and disturbed. His eyebrows lifted unseen. “I mean no offense, but isn’t it pointless if your opponent dies anyway?”

Akashiori nodded but explained. “It was a test for myself on spatial awareness. Can I accurately analyze my opponent’s status? It was a form of…training for emotional control and attentiveness during battle where the mind often becomes clouded. Bloodlust, exhilaration, and frustration often cast a veil over judgment. ” He shrugged. “This challenge was an effective method to keep myself focused and aware. I was hotheaded and regularly needed the reminder.”

Minato felt like a student rather than the superior; he may be superior in rank, but in comparison, he felt like there was a significant gap in maturity. He suddenly had a strong urge to know how old the man was and why he was considered a new recruit.

“However, the occasional prey does escape after learning my name. Those failures show where I was careless or hasty. It helps with post-mission analysis.”

“Then, should I address you as Akamaki?”

The Hunter-nin let out a resigned sigh. “I am giving up the practice. There is no point in it now. Just call me Akashiori.”

There was an awkward pause.

“If I may ask, what caused you to be so angry this morning?”

Akashiori chuckled. “Hokage-sama can be a sadistic man. Beneath that kind exterior is a cunning dog who likes to meddle in the worst ways, and he decided to mess with me even after I warned him not to.”

Another puzzle presented itself. The new recruit spoke of the Hokage as if they were equals. Could they perhaps be related? Or teacher and student? Long-time friends?

They resumed their run in silence, but it was much more pleasant than the first half of their journey. Though Minato wasn’t sure how he knew, Akashiori didn’t seem as uncomfortable with him anymore. He couldn’t see any difference in his movements, but the man appeared lighter in an indescribable way. Maybe it was just his imagination.

Abruptly, the Hunter-nin stopped. Now there was an urgency to his movements in evaluating his surrounding environment.

“Cheetah, we must increase our speed. It seems our target has acquired another pursuer – Kirigakure if my senses are correct. They are wary of kekkai genkai and have good reason to pursue the Uchiha.”

The pace Akashiori set was incredible; it was close to rivaling his own speed on a chase, but Minato was one of the fastest shinobi in Konoha. The trees were literally blurs, and the two men seemed to almost rocket through the air without taking any steps. The ANBU Captain wondered how long the Hunter-nin would be able to keep up the same pace before suffering from exhaustion.

But two hours later, the man didn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon; he wasn’t even winded and increased the pace a little more. He had stamina which rivaled the elite of the elite.

“We’re closing in on the Kiri-nin, but they have almost caught up with the Uchiha as well. We mustn’t allow the Sharingan fall into their hands. We recently discovered that Kiri has been researching counters for kekkai genkai.” Only towards the end of Akashiori’s rushed explanation did Minato notice. The Hunter-nin’s breaths had shuddered before he continued talking smoothly. _He’s feeling it,_ Minato realized. The man was feeling the strain – though it didn’t seem like much – of their last two hours of full-out sprinting but was doing an excellent job of hiding it. He wondered how the Hunter-nin would fare in the fight to come.

“There.” Akashiori whispered and adjusted his path onto higher branches. When they were almost on top of the three Kiri-nin, the Hunter-nin silently dropped down behind them and slammed a senbon deep into one of the men’s neck, right through the jugular vein with impeccable accuracy. Only when the Kiri-nin gurgled and dropped dead did his companions notice Akamaki’s deadly presence.

Minato stood back and watched him work.

“Who are you?” As they came to a halt, the two shinobi turned sharply to the man in the dark grey cloak.

“Guess.” In that single word, Minato heard the playful smirk behind the red swirled mask.

“What are you after?” One Kiri-nin snarled.

The Hunter-nin gave an exaggerated sigh. “No more guessing? Fine. I’m Akashiori, and I’m after _you–_ “ The last word was accentuated with the blur of his body lunging forward.

_Kaze no Yaiba (Blade of Wind)!_

Akamaki formed a barely-visible chakra sword on two fingers and slashed at the man to his right. The man cried out in pain as a precise gust of wind sliced across his chest, but then exploded into water. _Water clone._ His senses detected the man on a branch above and began to let fly another wind slice but was interrupted.

_Suiton: Teppoudama (Gunshot)!_

Condensed balls of water flew at Akamaki from the Kiri-nin positioned to his back left. He dodged the balls but watched in fascination as they drilled into tree trunks like bullets.

“Not too shabby. Nice teamwork there,” Akamaki complimented. With pure speed, he appeared behind the Kiri-nin who had performed the jutsu and jabbed his spine with a chakra enhanced elbow. The man screamed at the backbreaking impact but yelled out to his fellow Kiri-nin before dropping paralyzed to the ground, “Wide range! Speed! Trap!”

The remaining Kiri-nin seemed to understand immediately.

_Suiton: Mizuame Nabara (Starch Syrup Capturing Field)!_

He dropped down from the tree to form hand seals and shoot out a sticky liquid which splashed over the area of battle, trying to capture Akamaki’s feet and inhibit his mobility. Akamaki leapt out of the way as the liquid sloshed over the paralyzed Kiri-nin.

“Sorry, that might have worked if we weren’t in a forest.” At the end of the leap, he stuck to a tree with chakra and observed the liquid gunk on the ground. “Hmh! You Kiri-nin are so fond of your Suiton jutsus…” the Hunter-nin grumbled before Minato saw a glint of defiance in his eyes. “Well, I can do water too!”

_Suiton: Suihachi (Water Wave Palm)!_

A powerful jet of water shot out of his arm towards the ground, sweeping away the sticky slime and knocking into the Kiri-nin who smashed into a tree. “My code name is Akashiori, and I learned that move during my last mission,” the Hunter-nin spat at the memory of Kanzai. Then he flew at the dazed man in a blur too fast to be tracked and shoved his katana through the heart with a squelch.

Heavy, post-battle silence engulfed the forest.

Akashiori slid his sword out of flesh and fired a jolt of chakra through the blade to dispel the blood instantly. With a snap of his fingers, he set the man on black Hunter-nin fire. Prowling over to the Kiri-nin who was still half conscious, he snapped again, ignoring the strangled scream as the man was burned alive. Finally he backtracked to the first ninja he’d killed and snapped a third time.

“Cheetah, let us continue,” was all he said as he calmly picked up the trail and sprinted away from the liquid remains.

It took a moment for Minato to draw himself out of the shock of seeing Akashiori burn a man alive. This was exactly why the ANBU were at odds with the Hunter-nin Corps; their ruthlessness set them apart. Even the cruelest within ANBU would have killed the downed man before destroying the body, a practice of humanity the organization valued. How could he have forgotten?

He’d forgotten because of Naruto. Although he knew Uzuhara Naruto was a Hunter-nin, his new friend was kind and seemed to emit light even when plunged into emotional darkness. He didn’t appear capable of such brutality – a shinobi who would coldly burn an incapacitated man outside of battle! Still, Naruto’s occupation was a Hunter-nin, had been for a year, and was even praised by Hokage-sama for his work and efficiency.

Minato wondered what Naruto was like during missions.

 

__________

The Uchiha’s head had been retrieved and body burned. Before heading back to Konoha, they stopped for the night. It was now Minato’s turn to be uncomfortable with his temporary partner.

“Cheetah, each of us is in our respective line of work because we are suited for it.” Naruto cut the silence with his falsely gruff voice, knowing exactly what Minato was debating. “This is how we operate, and this is why we are Hunter-nin, not ANBU.”

The ANBU Captain didn’t seem mollified by the meager comment, but he nodded and remained deep in though. Naruto reexamined the mission from the start to present. At the beginning when he had stormed out of Sandaime-Jijii’s office, his true personality had mixed with his Akashiori persona, projecting his fury as Uzumaki would have; it was fortunate that he had instinctively stabilized his chakra. It had taken a while for Akashiori to overcome the unwelcome rage and frustration, and through it all, Minato had been professional and courteous.

Naruto had been beyond impressed by Minato’s speed. Ero-Sannin had boasted that Namikaze Minato had been one of the most gifted shinobi who ever lived and the fastest shinobi of his time, and Naruto was now starting to see for himself why.

During his combat assessment, they had been testing each other and playing around. But now in a mission, Minato was the epitome of a perfect shinobi. His speed was phenomenal, his movements were clean and disciplined, and Naruto could feel the keen eyes studying his every move action, nothing escaping his notice.

When Naruto had increased their pace, Minato hadn’t batted an eye and followed as if nothing had changed. Hours later, the Hunter-nin had begun to tire but Minato looked unruffled, like he’d just started the mission. Naruto, even with Akashiori’s serious disposition, almost pouted at that; he was so jealous! Then he’d sighed inwardly at Kyuubi’s snickering and wished he had made time to continue training with Gai and Lee even after joining the Hunter-nin Corps. Naruto was now paying for the neglect.

After the fight with the Kiri-nin, Naruto had carried out the routine corpse processing and didn’t notice anything wrong until after the Uchiha had been taken care of. Minato had been slightly aloof and edgy, and only when they stopped to rest did Naruto understand why. What gave the hint was Minato’s animal mask, different from the Hunter-nin masks which had no constraints in design as long as it wasn’t an animal.

ANBU and Hunter-nin were rivals and enemies, all because the ANBU disliked Hunter methods. On the other hand, Hunter-nin couldn’t care less.

Naruto snorted to Kurama, ‘It’s like the relationship between me and Sasuke. The funny thing is, Sasuke ended up as ANBU while I joined Corps.’

 _‘Oh, the irony.’_ The fox chuckled dryly.

‘Hmm, this could work in our favor,’ Naruto pondered. ‘Kyuu, do you think he’ll stop following me around if Uzuhara Naruto shows his the cold, cruel Hunter-nin side?’

 _‘The idea has merit, but Namikaze seems to be an open-minded man.’_ The fox paused. _‘However, the real question is, kit, do you truly want to lose his friendship?’_

‘…’

 _‘He is a good man.’_ He sent Naruto a warm smile of encouragement. _‘He can help you recover from this predicament you have landed yourself in with your botched time jutsu.’_

Naruto sighed aloud and ignored Minato’s questioning tilt. “I’ll take first watch.”

 

__________

Naruto walked aimlessly through ANBU Headquarters, following the halls and occasionally turning right or left. This was the first time since he arrived twenty-four years in the past that he had no urge to do anything. He was bored…

The debriefing had barely taken any time, at least for him. Minato had been held back to report his evaluation and opinion on Akashiori’s performance. Naruto could only speculate what he’d say about his Hunter-nin cold-bloodedness. Minato was definitely ANBU through and through, and one of the best at that. On top of being an excellent teammate and disciplined shinobi, he was righteous and benevolent even while killing. Unlike Hunter-nin…

It seemed like the Hunter-nin Corps was filled with screwed up people like him. Of course, there were traumatized shinobi in ANBU, but none were severe because those who were critically damaged left ANBU for less traumatizing missions. On the other hand, people who became Hunter-nin tended to be victims of horror stories, the ones who had experienced the worst but somehow stayed sane, and because of that they could handle the dirty work of eliminating the worst of criminals. To avoid snapping, Hunter-nin preferred to keep their on-duty and off-duty lives completely separate.

Using personas like his.

They shied away from teamwork and all that camaraderie stuff the ANBU prized so much, at most sharing twisted banter which only they found funny and comforting silence between people truly empathetic when they passed through the Hunter-nin lounge. Very few gave away their true identities. As a result of solitary missions and the lack of judgment from others, Hunter-nin fighting styles reflected their inner selves.

Ruthless.

Naruto had become a model Hunter-nin. Even during his Tokubetsu Jounin infiltration missions, he usually worked as the lone infiltrator, passing information to teammates posted as lookouts. Thus it was strange to see all these shinobi gathered in one place. The ANBU lived together, ate together, trained together, and played together. After that, they worked together. Years ago, Naruto would have loved it and thought it a dream come true, but now none of his shinobi personas trusted crowds, not even as Hokage in training. There were just too many opportunities for hidden attacks.

Hah, his ‘charming’ Hunter-nin persona liked to play with missing-nin though, Naruto thought as a bit of immaturity slipped to the surface. Now that he was taking missions again, he could get back to testing new jutsu on his mission targets. How exciting!

 _‘Please refrain from creating anything idiotic like your last,’_ Kyuubi warned, ominously flailing his tails.

‘I know, I know. I’ve learned my lesson. Maybe I’ll just review the time jutsu. Then, I might be able to figure out what happened to my own time.’

 _‘No,’_ the fox growled. _‘You are a magnet for trouble. You will probably throw us further into the past just by_ looking _at it. I have no desire to merge with another me in the past.’_

Naruto sighed. ‘I know, I know.’ He didn’t really feel like doing anything at the moment anyway.

By this time, he had already toured the entire building, looking curiously into lounges and extracurricular rooms like soundproof piano rooms and art studios. Despite entering Headquarters multiple times in the past, Naruto had only been allowed access to the ANBU Library and nothing else – he’d thrown a mini-tantrum at that. There was one particular building he was very curious about; the massive training facility right outside his window held so much promise.

The large double doors were inviting, and Naruto entered eagerly like an Academy student would a weapons shop. Inside, he found everything anyone would ever want for training. He couldn’t fathom how Hunter-nin were able to stay on par with ANBU since the Corps didn’t have headquarters, much less a training facility. For secrecy’s sake, they didn’t even have their own training ground.

This was just _awesome_.

For now, it was enough to stroll through at a leisurely pace and create a mental list of things to try out. There were so many training equipments in the ninjutsu section, and the kenjutsu section had an enormous armory. And that target practice room had–.

“Uzuhara,” a familiar voice from behind distracted him. His heart sank as he recognized the canine masked man from two nights ago.

Cautiously, he turned to face the tall man and groaned inwardly. “Yes? How can I help you?”

“What are you doing here?” The man asked acidly. “I thought I told you to stay out of our way.”

“I’m just looking around, sir.” Naruto replied with forced politeness, hoping he wouldn’t do anything to set the man off. “This is an extraordinary facility.”

“You don’t have the right to be here, rookie.” The man ignored the blonde’s respectful manner. “You might have passed Hokage-sama’s ANBU test, but you have to get through our own induction tests before you’re one of us.”

“I’m really only looking around,” Naruto repeated warily. “I think I should be going now.”

The ANBU looked piercingly through the eyeholes. “I’ll lead you out.”

“Uhh, I can find my way…” the Hunter-nin tensed. Something wasn’t right.

“Show respect to your superiors!” The man barked. “Come.” He grabbed Naruto’s upper arm and dragged him down a hall.

“Where are we going, sir…?” He tried to twist out of the hand, knowing this wasn’t the path to an exit.

The man tightened his bruising grip to prevent escape. “You’re all Namikaze-san’s been talking about. Uzuhara this, Uzuhara that. I’m going to show everyone you’re not worth _anyone’s_ time.”

 _He’s jealous_ , Naruto realized, _dangerously jealous_. He was pulled through a set of double doors to the center of a large, open gymnasium. When the man gestured with his hands, five large men gathered around them. The shinobi who were training around the room stopped to watch the scene unfold.

“Listen up,” the canine-masked man shouted to the bystanders. “We’ve got a treat for everyone tonight! This rookie here, Uzuhara’s been bragging about how he’s good enough to take Namikaze-san down. We’re going to test this little twerp to see if he’s really as good as he says! Who wants to see him fight?”

“I haven’t been…!” Naruto protested frantically, still tugging at his arm, but his voice was barely heard as whispers erupted around them.

“Let’s show him what happens when anyone slanders Cheetah’s name!” Scattered cheers of approval filled the room as six shinobi attacked him simultaneously.

The fight was mean and dirty. Six full-fledged ANBU against one supposed rookie. They attacked him at once without holding back. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu, genjutsu. They threw them all as one cohesive unit. While the ANBU were in full gear, he was in loose pants and shirt with no weapons or protection. Unprepared and tired from the mission just hours ago, Naruto was having difficulty suppressing his urge to utilize Hunter-nin assassination techniques. All he allowed himself was to attack to incapacitate, defend, and throw what ninjutsu he could form before the next attack hit him.

Naruto snatched the kunai thrown at his head and jammed its ringed end into one attacker’s temple. He ducked under the long blade of an ANBU issued sword before forming a string of one-handed seals. As he let loose a massive wind attack to knock out two men, another aggressor launched a fireball which he only noticed and dodged because of the incoming heat, but it was a trap which placed him in position for a kick to the ribs. He could feel something crack, and with its breaking his mind began to crumble.

Suppressed feelings began to boil. He was so angry and frustrated at _everything_. His stupid broken masks and time jutsu and this stupid new world, and now there were these ANBU assholes who had decided their poor Namikaze-sama needed his honor defended. Naruto didn’t want to be here, among these strangers. Why should this Sandaime force interaction with people who weren’t _his_. He didn’t want ties with anyone here. They would just distract him from his duty. He just wanted to do his job and go back home to his precious people!

Control over his emotions was slipping quickly, and the urge to kill was growing stronger by the second. _I mustn’t kill, I mustn’t kill,_ Naruto reminded himself over and over within his deteriorating sanity. As injuries on his body increased, his own attacks increased in brutality. Four eliminated. Two hostiles remaining. Hostile No. 1: broken arm, shattered kneecap, sprained ankle, bleeding stomach. Hostile No. 2: shredded leg, dislocated shoulder, burnt side. Akashiori: fractured rib, incapacitated arm, concussion, kunai to the thigh, broken fingers, deep slice to his side, _mental breakdown_.

Despite the lack of his physical mask, Naruto was now in full Akashiori mode but missing his usual control. _I mustn’t kill, I mustn’t kill_ , he insisted, but the voice was losing strength, and need for vengeance was slowly gaining ground. His ruthless Hunter-nin techniques were surfacing, and he was so close to snapping his unbroken fingers to burn the downed bodies, alive or not.

The two remaining men caught him off guard, slamming him to the ground. His shadow clones were now so weak that they were only useful for kawarimi and decoys. He barely had enough energy to create a weak wind barrier to buy time to calm himself, but a blast of fire blown at the barrier mixed with the wind and created a flaming cyclone, trapping him within a burning oven.

That was the final straw.                                                                       

Red, malicious chakra began to seep out of his body, reaching out and tearing down the twister. His senses were suddenly overtaken by a sharp awareness of his surroundings and the blood pumping through his body. One hostile had woken up, making it a total of three capable of fighting. There were thirty humans in the room. He could smell fear beginning to leak from the three men in front of him.

Kyuubi’s angry chakra burned better than ever. So, so delicious that he was getting high off of it!

_I’m going to kill them._

Disregarding the pain of his broken body forcefully knitting back together, Naruto leapt at them wildly, starting to form a Rasengan in each hand to slam through their pitiful human chests.

BANG!

“What the _hell_ is going on here!?” Someone roared.

The gunshot slam of the doors flying open followed by the enraged, piercing voice and chakra from one he recognized as a trusted ally reached him in the red, rampant haze. He dredged up the will to salvage what sanity he had remaining to stop the attack and force the red back down. Naruto collapsed in a heap, barely having the strength move from the physical and emotional deterioration.

“Naruto! Naruto!” A panicked voice reached his ears. It felt like Minato. All he could do was grunt in response and curl into a ball, but when a hand touched his shoulder, he jumped violently and backed away like an abused animal, emitting frightened whimpers as he rocked himself forward and backward. “Don’t touch me, leave me alone!”

“Fuck!” The presence that felt like Minato swore. He felt arms wrap around him and flinched as a wave of dizziness hit him, but before he could react, he was on something soft and the dizziness evaporated.

“Naruto? Hey, can you hear me?”

He moaned in acknowledgement. He felt gentle fingers running through his hair. The motion allowed him to collect enough pieces of his mind to focus. Sweet healing chakra spread around his body. Naruto guardedly cracked open his eyes and saw concerned blue.

“Naruto?” Minato spoke gently, kneeling beside the bed.

As the physical pain faded to a dull ache, his awareness returned. “Mi…na…to?”

“That’s right,” the ANBU Captain said in a soft, soothing voice. “You’re in my room. You’re safe.”

Naruto gave a small nod but moaned from the pain in his head.

“I’m sorry, Naruto…I couldn’t take you to the infirmary. It would be bad if they found you’re Hunter-nin.”

“…find ’m Hunter?” Naruto mumbled in muddled confusion.

“Yes, we’re in ANBU HQ.” Minato answered apologetically, placing a comforting hand on Naruto’s upper arm. “I doubt you’d apprec–”

Naruto’s breath hitched. _ANBU!_

“ _Don’t touch me_!” Naruto snarled and sharply pulled away. “I _hate_ you!”

Naruto felt Minato’s chakra spike in alarm. “Naruto? What’s wrong?”

“I hate you ANBU!” He’s eyes glazed in anger, and he began to hyperventilate. “You bastards didn’t show up!” He gasped shallowly. “Two weeks of torture in that dungeon. I escaped. Turns out your retrieval team felt I had lowest priority because I’m a **demon**. Because I would heal up just fine.” Naruto suddenly curled a bloody hand around Minato’s neck, gently but threateningly stroking the soft skin over his jugular vein.

“Do you still want to be my friend, Minato? _Me_. Demon Hunter-nin with a fucked up past and a fucked up job that lets me do whatever I want with my targets as long as they’re obliterated?” He let out a dark, strangled laugh, releasing the neck after a tight squeeze. “I have a ‘flee on sight’ order in the Bingo Books, and I love it! It makes the chase even sweeter!”

Although Minato’s eyes widened in shock, he reached up to cup the shuddering scarred cheeks in warm, steady palms. Tears began to fill the Hunter-nin’s eyes, but he blinked furiously to stop them from escaping. Naruto growled in irritation.

“Look at me, Naruto. Breathe and look at me.” Minato tilted the distraught blond’s face to meet his unwavering eyes. “It’s…if it’s the job you feel most comfortable with, then I have nothing against that. I also have nothing at all against your past. I still want to be your friend.”

“W-what…?” Naruto’s angry eyes narrowed. “You’re lying,” he hissed. “You ANBU fuckers hate us.”

“No, I thought about it a lot over my mission,” Minato said, not letting go of Naruto’s disbelieving face. “The ANBU are hypocrites to criticize Hunter-nin methods. Hunter-nin methods are like…ANBU Torture & Interrogation except in the field.”

“You’re lying,” Naruto stated firmly even as tears leaked from his eyes and down his cheeks. “You hate us, and I hate you…”

“I don’t hate you,” Minato insisted, brushing his thumb across a wet cheek. “I don’t hate you.”

“B-but, you’re lying. You don’t know…” Naruto’s voice cracked as he tried to push him away weakly. “…if you knew… you’d hate me…”

Minato removed his hands and wrapped his arms around slumped shoulders, pulling the distraught blond’s form closer. “I’m not lying,” he said clearly into Naruto’s ear.

“…but I hate you…” he shook his head against the solid warmth around him and whispered again as if to hold on to what remained of his failing conviction. “…hate you…”

“You can hate me, but I’ll never hate you.” Minato ran his fingers through Naruto’s soft hair again.

Shaking hands slowly reached to latch onto Minato’s shirt, but the rest of Naruto remained stiff and unmoving. This time, the only evidence of his overwhelming anguish was the wetness seeping into the cloth over Minato’s shoulder.

 

__________

“Soooo…” Naruto began awkwardly, flushing again from embarrassment. “I’m really sorry…”

“Hmm?”

Naruto had eventually calmed down and shot out of Minato’s arms, looking mortified that he had broken down in front of him yet again. While the dazed Hunter-nin sat on the bed, leaning against the wall with absent eyes to piece together the last loose fragments of his mind, Minato had plopped himself down next to him to study a scroll until Naruto woke up from whatever he was thinkng.

“I’m really, _really_ sorry…” Naruto apologized again.

“Mmhmm.”

Naruto huffed at Minato’s lack of attention and leaned over to see what scroll he was studying, giving the preoccupied blonde’s arm a nudge.

The time traveler choked. “The Four Symbols Seal…”

“Hmm, yeah.” Minato mumbled, busy scribbling down some notes.

“Minato, what’re you studying that for?” Naruto asked discreetly but urgently. Did Minato start studying this seal so early?

Minato finally lifted his eyes to the blond head peering over his arm. “Have you heard of it before?” Naruto nodded nervously.

“You know how it’s still incomplete, right?” Naruto repeated the nod, though he didn’t actually know since it had already been completed in his time. “I’m trying to find the right runes to stabilize it and keep it from drifting so the cage will be grounded.”

“I see…” Naruto trailed off, having no idea what to do or say in this situation. He didn’t think _‘Hey, Minato, you already perfected it around…two decades ago!’_ or _‘Look here, I have three of them on my stomach.’_ would go over well with anyone so he chose the smart option of fishing for information, a skill he’d learned only recently.

“How did you learn about this seal?” Naruto asked, innocently curious.

“I have a friend from Uzushiogakure. She’s the one who got me interested in Sealing Arts.” Minato smiled softly in remembrance. “She told me about it a few years ago.”

“Wow, you’ve been studying it that long?” Naruto probed with faked surprise.

“What? No, I just got a copy of the scroll last week.”

 _Last week…crap, it’s definitely because of me and Kyuu,_ Naruto fidgeted at the thought. “Are you planning on using it?”

“Maybe, maybe not. It depends on whether there’s a spirit that needs to be sealed.” Minato shrugged casually.

In exaggerated anxiety, Naruto nudged Minato’s arm again and stuttered, “I-is there a threat of one any time soon?” Naruto hoped this question would bring forth some concrete information.

Minato looked grimly down at him. “To tell you the truth, there might be. I can’t say much since it’s an S-class secret, but I’ve been told by a well-informed source to stay alert.”

He raised distressed eyes to Minato’s troubled ones. “S-Sandaime-Jijii?” He might be laying the fear on a bit thick.

“Well…no. Hokage-sama said everything is fine, but my source isn’t convinced.” At Naruto’s skeptical frown, Minato elaborated. “I believe this source because of their precarious position in this delicate situation.”

That confirmed it. Now that his mother was digging into the issue herself, this could only end disastrously, especially since Minato was deeply involved. If Naruto ever met her, there was a very good chance of his own S-class Kyuubi secret would be revealed and both his Uzuhara Naruto Hunter-nin and Tokubetsu Jounin personas irreparably damaged. This was certainly a ‘delicate situation’ for which he and the Hokage needed to fabricate a convincing cover before Minato discovered anything or any information leaked out. If Tobi found out and started digging as well…

Naruto fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. These days, everything happening around him seemed to require damage control. In this case, he needed to work from both the inside and out to manipulate a positive, or at least neutral, outcome. First, he would start out by infiltr…integrating himself into the circle of his mother’s most trusted friends as someone who had the expertise to help and therefore could be included in their secrets.

“What do you have so far?” Naruto shifted closer to study the seal in development.

“Oh, that’s right, you’re a Seal Master. Take a look; you might see something I’m missing,” Minato said, tilting the scroll in the smaller blonde’s direction.

Naruto noticed with great relief that there was still a significant amount of work to be done before its completion. He would just need to prolong the estimated time required by subtly throwing them off course.

“This stroke to the right. It might detract from the structure’s balance.” Naruto made an attempt to disrupt a well-hidden but critical portion of the seal.

“Hmm, that’s true, but the mark below evens it out.”

The problem was, Minato was too good of a Seal Master, no doubt better than himself who had little guidance and learned through trial and error. However, because he developed his skills through experimentation and practical application, he was confident about having a better understanding of the intricacies of Fuuinjutsu application. He could win this game.

“But you have to consider the clashing of the spirit’s chakra against the cage. See here…” They continued to trade suggestions back and forth but in the end reached no conclusion.

Minato furrowed his brow, nodding pensively. “I guess we’ll have to look for another combination of runes.”

Naruto hid his grin in the pretense of bending down for a closer look. This should set them back at least two weeks. He knew every single scroll and jutsu on Sealing in the ANBU Library; Minato would be led astray by the many false leads for this particular problem, only to find that the original runes were the best.

Maaaaybe he felt a bit guilty, but it was Konoha’s survival on the line.

“Naruto, how are you feeling?” The sudden change in topic shook him out of his scheming thoughts.

After a moment he answered, “I’m better. Mostly healed.” Naruto smiled gratefully up at Minato before looking down at his hands still covered in specks of dried blood. “Minato, thanks, _really_. I lost it for a few seconds back there, but somehow your voice and chakra were…mmm, how do I describe it? They were…soothing and calmed me down right away. That’s surprising since, usually, someone has to knock me unconscious.” Too busy studying his healed fingers which had been broken earlier, Naruto missed the pleased blush lightly staining the ANBU Captain’s cheeks.

A question popped into Naruto’s head. “How did you know to go there?”

Minato frowned and curled his hands into fists. “I heard people talking about Jackal bullying a rookie again, and you’re the first new agent here in two months. Then your chakra spiked from the training facility. It felt more destructive than when I channeled it last week so I knew I had to hurry.” Minato’s expression turned to one of rage. “They always do this under my name. I’m sick of people getting hurt because of it!”

“Minato…I was about to kill them…” Naruto hung his head. “I’m already so angry with life in general, but they just had to push. I was about to shove my hands through their chests.” He raised haunted eyes to look at the man beside him. “And I would have enjoyed every bit of it. I probably would have laughed afterwards. There were points during the fight that I almost snapped my fingers and set them on black fire.”

Minato hooked a comforting arm over Naruto’s shoulders. “We all have limits, and what happened was a self-defense mechanism. We are shinobi; those who taunt fellow shinobi should know and expect the consequences.” The ANBU Captain gave a small reassuring squeeze. “They asked for it. You did nothing wrong.”

Naruto nodded sullenly, but his anxiety didn’t disappear. Minato didn’t know about _his_ Kyuubi. If he found out, there was no doubt he would be considered too dangerous to even walk on the streets, especially with his psychological issues. Minato might fully accept his mother’s Kyuubi, but she wasn’t a jaded killing machine who would wipe out masses of people if ordered. He would probably find out eventually, and Naruto didn’t know how badly he would react if Minato began to avoid him.

“Er, Naruto… Do you hate me?” Minato asked apprehensively.

Naruto’s eyebrows rose and after a moment of silence, he broke into laughter, and then he laughed even harder at his friend’s glare. What timing… “I’m sorry I said that. If I really hated you, I would have already beaten you up, completely ignored you, or pranked you viciously.” He snickered at several of his legendary pranks. “I don’t hate all of ANBU. I’ve had really good friends here. I’m just holding a huge, deeply ingrained, malicious grudge against a minority. I certainly don’t hate _you_.”

The larger blonde sighed in relief. “Does your Bingo Book entry really have a 'flee-on-site’ order?”

“Well~, I used to, before my last mission.” Naruto smiled fondly at how proud he had been. He remembered bouncing around in Tsunade-babaa’s office for an entire day, and then being horrified that he couldn’t shove it in Sasuke’s face whose ANBU name had yet to make it into the Bingo Books. “I bet you do too.” He said, already knowing.

Minato turned to face the other away as his cheeks dusted pink again. “Yes, just recently. But they’re exaggerating…there are countless shinobi much better and deadlier who should be mentioned instead.”

Naruto hummed in appreciation. “I think modesty makes for a better shinobi,” he grinned, “something I definitely lack.” Minato’s down-to-earth attitude was incredibly refreshing. The only experiences he’d had with prodigies were Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Neji, Itachi, Orochimaru, and all those stuck-up, eccentric idiots who made him want to tear _their_ hair out. Maybe it was their genius combined with bad childhoods that made them senseless and socially inept. But Minato had thrown those solid beliefs about prodigies out the window.

Naruto leaned back against Minato’s arm and thought for the first time that this timeline might not be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, sorry! No Kushina this time… And I think Naruto’s had enough of his angsty stuff.
> 
> Next chapter: I promise Kushina! Some Minato’s POV? And maybe put Haikage to work.


	7. Mayhem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: For those of you uncomfortable with the Mina/Naru pairing (shounen-ai, incest), it’s going to become obvious from this chapter.

**Chapter 7: Mayhem**

Secured within the Hokage’s personal lounge, two men sat in grim silence.

Sarutobi closed his tired eyes and took a deep breath before opening them to reveal fiery determination mirrored in Haikage’s eyes. “We have approximately two and a half years until war. This means we have less than two and a half years to prepare ourselves in training shinobi, forging alliances, and establishing a thorough information network,” the Sandaime Hokage reiterated their plan of action. “Presuming this timeline will still follow your Past, which is unlikely.”

Haikage acknowledged him with a short nod. Each word spoken after revealing the Past during the late-night Kage Kaigi, the Shadow Assembly, weighed heavily on his mind. “Hokage-sama, we will need to utilize all the time we have for the first task. In my timeline, none of the shinobi countries were prepared for war and therefore lacked power to defend and attack.”

“There is little we can do for the Academy students. Perhaps adding chakra and physical exercises to the curriculum. Basic first aid. Survival training. This will at least give them the skills to run from danger,” Haikage continued.

Sarutobi grimaced at the thought of children in war. The First Shinobi World War had begun before his birth, and all of his own childhood had been spent learning how to fight and survive. Many children had grown up believing war was the way of the world, and some never grew out of the mindset.

“Genin teams and chuunin are what we need to focus on,” Haikage continued more urgently. “It is best to set an ambitious training curriculum for each team’s jounin-sensei to follow. When I was a genin, there were no established requirements, and our growth depended solely on the amount of effort the teacher was willing to contribute. My team only learned tree walking and basic teamwork before our first Chuunin Exam. Hokage-sama, I refuse to allow unprepared child soldiers to become war sacrifices due to neglect.” He scowled in disgust as he remembered how ill-prepared they had been for Otogakure’s invasion. “For the chuunin, we can employ injured or retired shinobi to lead regular supplemental training sessions in every Ninja Art to monitor and improve their skills.”

“Finally, jounin should to be evaluated and grouped by specializations for advanced training in their particular field. Once they have gained a sufficient level of expertise, they can be matched with shinobi from other specialization groups to form well-rounded teams.”

Sarutobi nodded his approval and flipped through his papers. “Our shinobi count nears 10,000. It will be difficult to shield the new training programs from enemy eyes, but perhaps a staged invasion attempt will provide sufficient reason for the overhaul. I will discuss the logistics with the ANBU and Hunter-nin Commanders.”

“Haikage-san, you will be primarily dealing with international relations. We must reduce the frequency of skirmishes along Land of Fire borders and establish alliances or peace treaties with smaller nations to determine which will fight with us, against us, or remain neutral. Since our major enemies will be Iwagakure and Sunagakure, our efforts will target the western nations.”

Haikage furrowed his brow. This was going to be slightly tricky. He needed to decide whether to use the Haikage’s black mask or to recruit ambassadors to work under him. Going himself would ensure business was carried out properly, but he did not have the time to handle all of them. Sending ambassadors would get the job done faster, but diplomacy depended on a subtle exchange of words. The best option was probably a combination of the two, with him making the initial contact and then sending ambassadors after the connection was made.

“Hokage-sama, I request several teams of politically inclined shinobi as ambassadors to those nations.”

“Granted. I will involve the Head of International Affairs. He has already deployed teams to River with little success.” He penciled a note. “That is enough for today. This concludes the Kage Kaigi. Good work Haikage-san.”

The tension dissipated.

As Naruto organized his notes, Sarutobi set his elbows on the desk and carefully watched the figure in black from behind laced fingers. “Now, Naruto, I was informed that you were attacked. Would you care to explain?” He waited for him to elaborate with the air of a parent waiting patiently for a naughty child to confess.

Surprise flickered over Naruto’s face. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Uhh…it’s nothing,” he said nonchalantly. “We were just playing around.”

“Really, ‘just playing around’?”

Naruto nodded vigorously.

“Is that so, Naruto?” Sarutobi arched a skeptical eyebrow. “The situation sounded more like bullying. Any comments?”

Naruto pressed his lips firmly into a thin line stubbornly.

Sarutobi turned on his full parental glare. Naruto fidgeted but stuck his chin out with proud defiance.

“Naruto,” the elder man said sternly, “you are doing Haikage-kun a great disservice by wearing that petulant scowl while in his image.”

After a brief battle of wills, the blond’s lips morphed into a pout. “Oh fine! Yes!” He surrendered with a huff. “You know, it’s not cool to advertise that you were bullied.”

Sarutobi hid a chuckle at the boy’s attitude by taking a drag from his pipe but couldn’t comprehend how this exceptional shinobi had gotten bullied. “What happened?”

“We fought,” the Hunter-nin answered vaguely. His eyes slowly narrowed into a glare, but it could never win against the glare of an angry father.

_“Naruto,”_ Sarutobi pressed sternly.

“Okay, okay!” The younger man gave in, grumbling about how Sandaime-Jijii should have exhausted his daddy vibes on Asuma and genin teams by this time of the night. “It was an _ambush_ , not something stupid like bullying,” Naruto denied. “Six-to-one in the training facility. We fought. I was tired and pissed off that I wasn’t allowed to kill the damn bastards.” Then Naruto smirked smugly. “They got a bunch of hits in, but I gave better than I got and knocked four of them out. You should have seen how bad they got pounded to the floor!”

“Go on.”

Abruptly, his cocky attitude deflated and Naruto fidgeted in his seat, not looking so tough regardless of his Haikage attire. “I…uh…lost control, you know, from the injustice of it all. I was ticked off and worn out and they just wouldn’t go away, so I started to draw on Kyuubi’s chakra. But Minato woke me up before I did any damage,” he finished quickly.

“Minato-kun informed me that your injuries were not merely ‘a bunch of hits’.”

“Yeahhh, maybe a bit more…” _Minato, you idiot._ Naruto met Sarutobi’s eyes defiantly. “Just ask him if you want to know more, old man.”

Sarutobi sighed and wondered how the blond could be a cold, professional killer one moment and revert to a rebellious teenager in the next. His personas were so well-constructed to fit each respective situation. In all his years watching over a shinobi village, Sarutobi had never met someone so well-versed in their application. Naruto was not lying when he called himself the Master of Deception. “Very well,” Sarutobi conceded. “I have a mission for you, Uzuhara Naruto, Tokujou of Infiltration & Reconnaissance. I will send the details to your room later. Now, go to bed young man!”

“Ugh…what’s wrong with cranky old geezers?” He grumbled not so quietly under his breath. “It must be their stiff joints.” He chortled and escaped before the fuming man could throw another writing utensil as a senbon.

“I’m only 49!”

_____________________

Minato leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at the ceiling. A week prior, a disheveled Naruto had knocked on his door and told him he was leaving for a week-long Tokujou mission, and then rushed off before he could reply, obviously running late. Now he was impatiently awaiting his return, contemplating why he was waiting at all. He had never before waited for anyone’s return without setting an agreed place and time prior to departure. It wasn’t practical.

Uzuhara Naruto was a fascinating specimen. He had suddenly dropped into his life and proceeded to strew his orderly mind every which way. Originally, he had wanted to help the owner of the pain-filled chakra, but after the newcomer ran out on him for no reason, Minato couldn’t stop thinking about him; in the span of two days, he had turned Minato into a Jiraiya-worthy stalker. How embarrassing.

Naruto was a mass of contradictions. He was heartbroken but upbeat, aloof but friendly, reckless but calculating, dense but brilliant, world-weary but pure at heart, and so much more. The first time they met in the laundry room, Minato thought he had walked into a battlefield. Angry, devastated chakra emitting howls of emotional pain mixed with the scent of blood permeating through air almost made him gag until he saw a boy furiously scrubbing his blood-soaked uniform – a uniform he only noticed later to be of a Hunter-nin. He had impulsively called out and unintentionally frightened the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy enough for him to make a frantic escape. Minato didn’t know what had come over him when he realized he was looking at the ANBU dorm assignments for the new tenant’s identity. Uzuhara Naruto. _Interesting name._

Their meetings afterwards were non-existent until the Hunter-nin’s Shinobi Assessment. Uzuhara was good. Better than good. Good enough to fight on par with him in a mock battle while still recovering. He was unpredictable and wild and had thrown Minato into confusion for half of the match. First that underground chakra technique, then the wakizashi taijutsu form, the use of seals with shadow clones, his exhilaratingly complex chakra, and Gamabunta. Okay, that undeniably amounted to more than half…

Then, he discovered Uzuhara had a past saturated with physical and emotional suffering. How was he still functional? Yet, Yamanaka-san had described that tortured mind as beautiful. From Yamanaka-san’s descriptions and his own experiences with the blond, Minato had to agree.

Uzuhara didn’t make sense. Still, Minato had the illogically overwhelming desire to become this troublesome boy’s – no, man’s – friend. No person could remain a child after what he’d gone through. He had found later that the Hunter-nin was much more broken than he showed outwardly, and Minato was honored to have his help accepted.

In the days following, Naruto had shown more swings between extreme emotions, but it seemed Minato had become recognized as a friend, perhaps his only friend excluding the Sandaime Hokage. Now, _that_ was truly gratifying. Minato had achieved a position of trust and reliance. And Naruto, though he didn’t know it, had achieved the same with Minato.

Which must be why he was waiting, Minato sighed. He was fixated.

He wondered what Naruto was doing on the mission. He had mumbled something about Tokujou and infiltration. From what Minato had seen during their match, Naruto was excellent at deception, maybe the best, which would make him perfect for infiltration and espionage.

Minato jumped at three raps on his door. _Naruto!_

He composed himself and opened the door. Beyond the doorway, he saw the Hunter-nin smiling tiredly up at him.

“Mission success. Missed me?”

Minato smiled at the playful tone, but concern filled his eyes. “You look exhausted. Are you alright?”

Naruto rolled his eyes and grumbled, “I swear, you ask that every time we see each other.” Then he looked hopefully at the taller blonde. “Have you had lunch? I’m hungry.”

Minato held back a laugh. That was Naruto’s offhand version of how Minato would have phrased: ‘Regardless of whether you’ve eaten, will you accompany me to lunch?’

Giving an amused nod, they walked through the halls. As tired and oblivious as Naruto was, he didn’t notice the stares and whispers, but Minato noticed and felt apprehension fill him. His emotionally unbalanced friend might not be ready to face an awestruck crowd, and much less any fear-driven ostracism.

Moments after they entered the cafeteria, the entire room fell silent. _Now_ , Naruto noticed. His face showed alarmed realization that his loss of control in the training facility was the cause of this reaction; his normally expressive face hardened into cold, blank stone. In a controlled, monotonous voice, Naruto spoke. “Minato, shall we proceed?” Without looking to see if he followed, the Hunter-nin took measured steps to the food bar.

The ANBU in the room watched Naruto silently until he disappeared from sight. Whispers erupted around the large room. When Naruto appeared again, this time with a tray of food, the whispers again faded into silence. “Minato, let’s sit over there.” Naruto pointed at a table near two exits – two escape routes.

As they began eating, a man walked over to them. Naruto’s chopsticks stopped halfway, and his shoulders tensed.

“Excuse me. Uzuhara-san right…?” The man started carefully but gained enthusiasm as he spoke. “I just wanted to say great job last week! Thanks for putting Jackal in his place. You kicked ass! I’m Frog, by the way. It’s nice to meet you!”

Naruto’s stiff expression cracked into one of wariness and bewilderment followed soon after by a twitch of his lips. Minato grinned.

“Um, thanks Frog-san. I didn’t really do anything though,” came the tentative reply.

“No way! You were awesome. Just call me Frog. If you ever need anything or want to hang out, swing by room 220.” After waving goodbye, the man walked away, humming happily.

Naruto stared incredulously after the man who had swept through like a miniature storm and then to Minato who was still grinning ear to ear. “Wha…?”

Minato thought a silent, heartfelt thank you to Frog. “They consider you a hero for beating Jackal. Many of the ANBU who joined in the last four years were bullied by him. He might be a jerk, but he’s skilled on missions, which is why we haven’t been able to discharge him. But he went too far last week, so he was sent to T & I for a psych eval and put on probation for a few months. He might even get kicked out.”

“And…beware the crowd of Uzuhara Naruto worshippers heading our way,” he warned merrily.

Naruto scanned his wide eyes around the cafeteria and eeped in a way Minato could only describe as adorable. He saw a faint blush appear on the Hunter-nin’s cheeks, which turned into a full flush as more people showered him with their gratitude.

Minato cheerfully resumed eating, keeping a watchful eye on a flustered Naruto trying to deny the significance of his actions. It took an hour for the ‘hero’ to finish lunch, and Minato had enjoyed watching every second of it. Naruto’s smiles now came easier and brighter, and there was less hesitancy in his interactions.

“So, what did you think?” Minato asked in amusement as they walked out.

Naruto’s blush returned along with a grin as he recalled the events. “It was strange…but good.”

Minato nodded and slung an arm around Naruto’s shoulders, the action quickly becoming one of his favorites. “Great, because you’ll be getting more of that tonight, tomorrow at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and probably for the rest of the week.”

Naruto’s eyebrows rose in surprise but a moment later, confusion set in. “Why weren’t they scared of my red chakra? Everyone’s always hated me for it.”

Minato ruffled Naruto’s hair playfully. “ANBU is filled with unusual skills and bloodlines, so being different isn’t a big deal. Your other chakra is just your own unique fighting tool.”

At these words, Naruto slowly formed the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. It wasn’t wide or dazzling but soft and warm and accompanied by bright, serene eyes. He looked as if a weight had been lifted and was finally at peace with something. Minato felt his heart skip a tiny beat and his chakra jump; he never before wanted a camera as badly as he did now.

“Naruto, would you like to spend the afternoon in my room?”

The shorter blond grinned and nodded. “That sounds great if you don’t mind that I do a bit of work first.”

Minato returned the grin and steered his friend to their rooms for Naruto to collect his materials. The Hunter-nin returned to Minato’s room with several scrolls, papers, and writing utensils which were all dumped in a messy pile on Minato’s bed.

“What are those for?” Minato leaned over curiously to study the collection of scrolls. “Advanced sealing, henge, clones, and medical jutsu theories?”

“I’m trying to come up with a more permanent Henge and long-lasting Kage Bunshin in the form of seals. They’d come in handy during my infiltration missions,” Naruto explained absently, already beginning to formulate ideas in his mind.

Minato paused when his fingers fiddled with one of the scrolls. “Naruto…are you allowed to have this library scroll? It’s from the restricted section.”

“Mmm…not really.” The younger blond shot him a mischievous grin. “It’s their fault security was lax enough for me to nick it. That librarian’s snores covered up any noise I made. He sounded like the group of giant wild boar that attacked me in the Forest.”

“You need to submit a formal request to access forbidden scrolls, Naruto. Otherwise, you could be accused of treason. It’s listed under section 43 of the ANBU Handbook.”

Naruto snorted. “Lighten up! You actually read that monster? Why bother with the hassle. The Old Man will let me if I ask anyway.”

“You have no respect for authority…”Perhaps it would be wiser to feign ignorance. Minato sighed. “If you need a sounding board, I’m always available,” the ANBU Captain offered.

Naruto nodded gratefully and crawled eagerly to his loot.

A short while later found Naruto lying on the bed on his stomach, stretched over Minato’s shins, and scribbling furiously while Minato sat against the wall working through his routine chakra control exercises. He was amused that Naruto had subconsciously spread across the bed while studying, only frowning at Minato’s legs blocking his way for an instant before shrugging and plopping down on top of them to get comfortable in what he guessed was his friend’s typical reading arrangement.

Minato found he liked the company and the comfortable silence with Naruto in this position except for one thing: Naruto’s bent legs and feet swinging lazily up and down through the air. Naruto just being there was pleasantly distracting, but the lazy motions of the feet were making it difficult for him to concentrate on a particularly difficult exercise. When he lost focus for the fifth time, Minato glared at the swinging legs. He didn’t have the heart to tell Naruto to stop, but he could tease him a bit.

Minato focused his chakra on his shins that Naruto was lying over and carefully nudged it down his friend’s side and even further down Naruto’s legs. Naruto paused his writing but didn’t interrupt, curious to see what Minato planned to do despite the shiver that tingled down his spine. Once the warm chakra spread to form a thin layer around both of Naruto’s feet, Minato wiggled it. Naruto let out a yelp at the sudden tickling sensation on the underside of his feet and almost fell off the bed.

“Minato! What was that for?” Naruto exclaimed.

“Chakra control exercises,” Minato answered innocently but was unable to hide his playful grin.

“Liar.” Naruto directed a glare at the other, still oblivious to the fact that it was ineffective.

The culprit smirked. “You were distracting me, so I thought it would be fun to distract you back.”

The Hunter-nin scowled. “I’ve been successfully distracted. But I’m not letting you get away with it.” A glint of something flashed through his eyes. “You offered to be a sounding board, so I’m going to take you up on the offer.”

Minato suddenly was unsure if the offer had been a good idea. Naruto was planning something, and he knew he was going to come out the worse for wear. Last time, he’d been swept off his feet, blown up more than once, and electrified. This time…

Minato shuddered.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m just going to diagnose you,” the prankster said with a straight face.

“Diagnose me…for what?” Minato asked apprehensively.

“Weeeell, I’m worried about something.” Naruto studied Minato intently. “Do you remember the Oiroke no Jutsu I used on Sandaime-Jijii? It should have affected you, but you didn’t react at all. So I’m worried.”

Minato looked at Naruto as if he had grown another head. “Worried that I didn’t react to a jutsu for perverts?”

Naruto nodded sagely. “It works on everyone else.”

“That’s because I’m not a pervert!”

“Even if you aren’t, there should at least have been a teeny-tiny hint of a reaction.” Naruto climbed off the bed and stepped to the center of the room. Before Minato could object, he formed a ram seal and pushed a small amount of chakra out.

_Oiroke no Jutsu_

With a puff, a voluptuous, naked Naruko stood in place of Naruto, covered strategically but scantily by clouds. “See? No reaction to nudity. Let’s change it up.”

_Puff_ , slender. _Puff_ , brunette. _Puff_ , older woman. _Puff_ , Hyuuga. _Puff,_ muscular _. Puff,_ pale _. Puff. Puff. Puff._ _Puff_ , red hair.

Minato averted his eyes.

“Aha! A reaction!” Naruko exclaimed gleefully.

“I know someone with red hair, and it’s rude to them!” Minato defended, trying to force down his slight blush.

“Oh? You know someone? But you know Hyuuga and Inuzuka too.” Red-haired Naruko smirked evilly. “At least you’re not asexual. Now let’s see if you’re bi.”

“Naruto…” Minato began dangerously. “What are yo…”

_Oiroke no Jutsu: Sexy Man!_

A naked, scantily covered man with the same red hair stood before him. “Hmm, no?”

_Puff_ , buff. _Puff_ , spandex. _Puff_ , Itachi. _Puff_ , elderly (“Naruto! That’s gross!”). _Puff_. _Puff_. _Puff_.

“Alright, guess not,” Naruto conceded and reverted back to himself.

Minato blushed beet red.

Silence.

Minato fidgeted.

Naruto gaped.

Minato looked at him fearfully.

“Y-Y…you…you’re a narcissist!”

Minato’s eyebrows shot up.

Then he palmed his face in both relief and despair, _Ughhh, Naruto, I don’t think that’s it…_ “Idiot! Just put some clothes on!”

The offending blond looked down at his bare front in confusion. “Oh, oops!”

The fearsome ANBU Captain Namikaze Minato, code-named Cheetah, wished he could shrink away and hide under his bed.

Once back in proper clothing, Naruto didn’t stop grinning. “Blond hair and blue eyes! Wow, I never thought… in love with yourself? Really? Minato is a narcissist…” He repeated in an annoying sing-song voice.

“Shut up.” Minato growled, still pink in the face. _If only that were true,_ he thought to himself, thankful that there had been clouds blocking his friend’s intimate parts, and forcefully changed the subject. “Naruto! Show me what seals you’ve come up with.”

Naruto grinned even wider at Minato’s efforts at evasion but relented, apparently satisfied with the mayhem he had created for the day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent completing the seals. With two of the best Seal Masters working together, they constructed a complex seal to stabilize a Henge by two seal points and another seal which would allow Kage Bunshin to draw chakra from sources in its the vicinity. Testing the seals would have been the next step, but the loud growl from Naruto’s stomach brought their work to a halt.

As the two men cleaned up for dinner, Naruto brought out the blackmail. “If you treat me to ramen, I won’t tell that _Minato is a narcissist_.”

Minato groaned inwardly. Naruto was never going to let this go…

___________________

As they neared the ramen stand, Minato waved happily at someone at a distance. “Hey, Kushina!”

Naruto’s breath hitched. _Kushina; Uzumaki Kushina; his future mother; the ex-vessel of Kyuubi._

He turned to take a glance…

She was beautiful and _alive_. That made her even more beautiful.

Uzumaki Kushina looked up from where she was walking away from Ichiraku and grinned widely. Is that a blush on her face? “Minato, you bastard! I’ve been trying to get in touch with you!”

…Aaaand she acted like Uzumaki Naruto before the trauma and his life in general: brash and loud.

Naruto couldn’t stop staring. He now remembered how many features he had inherited from her. His mouth, always grinning widely. The shape of his eyes, rounder than his father’s. His figure, narrower and definitely not as tall as his father’s.

He would have continued to stare and compare, but he abruptly felt a strange tug in his stomach and knew the cause instinctively. _The kyuubi!_ He had to get out of there! Now! But before he could move, Minato had slung an arm over his shoulders and was steering them in her direction.

With every step closer, the tug grew more obvious. They were around thirty feet away.

‘Kurama?’

_‘Her seal wants to pull parts of me back, but your newly reinforced seal is much stronger and will not break. Since your seal is also pulling at residual demonic chakra in her body, she is feeling the tug as well.’_

Naruto groaned in dismay. The tug wasn’t really bad, just strange. The danger was that his mother would know something was up.

“Hey, Naruto. What’s wrong?” Minato stopped and looked down at him.

“I-I’m fine.” Naruto replied nervously. He was about to give an excuse to leave, but a loud groan interrupted him.

“Kushina!” Minato rushed over to her as she squatted, clutching her stomach.

“Ugh, my stomach feels awful,” she groaned again.

“How awful?” Minato squatted next to her and began rubbing her back soothingly.

“I don’t know. Awful. I…I think I might have eaten too much…”

“…eaten too much…?” Minato echoed incredulously.

“Uh huh…I had two more bowls than usual…,” she confessed, rocking forward and backward as if trying to relieve the pressure.

‘Two more bowls than usual, she says,’ Naruto repeated to Kyuubi, flabbergasted.

The demon fox laughed aloud. _‘Yes, she was always rather clueless, much like you were. What she feels is no doubt the seal, but because her seal is much weaker, the side effects are much harder on her body.’_

“Minato, you idiot. This is your fault!” She missed a punch to his arm. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“My fault…?” The ANBU Captain looked lost and frantic as he pulled her up to her feet. “Uhh, Kushina, hold on. I’ll help you home, okay? Just please don’t throw up…”

_‘Kit, you should follow while maintaining this same distance.’_ Kyuubi advised. _‘If you leave now, and she recovers immediately, she may connect the discomfort to you. You can separate after several blocks.’_

Naruto followed them from the shadows. The two staggered slowly down the street with Kushina trying to defend her ramen and Minato nodding along to appease her. He maintained the same distance of around thirty feet.

Strangely, the tug was almost unnoticeably declining in strength. Naruto wouldn’t have known if Kyuubi hadn’t informed him.

_‘I have a theory that proximity over time may cause the connection to weaken. Let us experiment, kit.’_

Under the fox’s instruction, Naruto decreased the distance between him and his mother by fifteen feet. The tug shot up exponentially, and she began to sob. The pressure didn’t decline even after several minutes.

_‘I feel the pull strengthening when we are at this short of a distance._ ’ Kyuubi panted at the strain but waved off Naruto’s concern. _‘Let us now test the distance of forty feet.’_

The tug almost disappeared. He could also see his mother relaxing.

_‘The seals have no effect on each other after a certain distance.’_ Kyuubi regained his composure. _‘Decrease the distance gradually.’_

The tug increased again, but when he reached what he estimated to be around twenty-five feet, the tug spiked up in strength. His mother cried out again.

_‘You cannot go any closer than this, or we will be tied even more tightly to her. However, if you maintain a distance of approximately twenty-seven feet, there is just enough tension for your seal to eventually override hers.’_

Naruto arched his eyebrow at the demon fox. ‘So, Kyuu, that pretty much means I’m going to be stalking her for a while.’

_‘Kit, you stalked the Uchiha boy for years. It should be second nature for you.’_

‘Ugh, please don’t bring that up. At least not now. I’m starving, and I want ramen.’ Naruto complained with embarrassment. ‘Let’s go back and wait.’

So he waited at Ichiraku for Minato. He sat without ordering and waited diligently. He waited some more. An hour later, he couldn’t wait any longer and ordered several bowls. Then he waited again. Half an hour later, he ordered several more bowls. And waited.

Naruto felt his heart sink.

Minato wasn’t coming.

He’d been forgotten, and it was by his only friend in this time. Forgotten and abandoned. There was no way her seal still hurt, so why wasn’t he here yet?

Naruto scowled. Minato hadn’t spared a single glance back at him when he left with his mother, but of course it should be expected. He should have expected it, but the days spent with Minato had been so good that he had completely forgotten Minato was his father, the same one he resented for abandoning him for the village.

He was reminded clearly now that this wasn’t timeline, and Minato belonged to his mother in this future. He needed to get used to the idea that he couldn’t be close to them because, at most, he could only hold the position of a best friend, which made him an _outsider_. Naruto didn’t have the right to infringe upon their happiness. They wouldn’t know what to do with a son their own age, and even if he used his time jutsu to merge into his baby form, little Naruto would end up with a tortured adult mind who didn’t know how to behave within a normal family.

Minato couldn’t be his because in the end, he would be his mother’s and little Naruto’s. Someday, after he got used to standing beside Minato, Naruto would have to give his friend away, and he would be alone again.

His happiness at seeing his mother withered. Naruto felt like crying. This was why he had tried to stay away from human interactions, because these people weren’t _his_. He shouldn’t get close to people here because no new relationship could replace the ones he had with his precious people. Human interaction between him and the people of this world were insubstantial and mere distractions. He didn’t need or want _any_ of it, or so he tried to convince himself.

‘ _Kit, you are overreacting…,_ ’ the fox murmured, but his host refused to listen.

Naruto looked up to the cloudy sky with jaded eyes before hardening his resolve. It was time to get his seals tattooed, run some important errands, and start saving Konohagakure like he had vowed to.

Naruto felt ugly in his jealousy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay…a little unsure about this chapter…feedback please?
> 
> Next chapter: Naruto’s resolve. Can Minato fix this? Which characters will be added into the mix?


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